Departments of Exercise Science ; Biological Sciences, Northern Arizona University , Flagstaff, AZ, USA.
Departments of Exercise Science.
J Sports Sci Med. 2005 Dec 1;4(4):367-71. eCollection 2005 Dec.
Restriction of expansion of the lungs or chest wall impedes inflation of the lungs during inhalation. Functional changes occurring during such restriction include reduced pulmonary and/or chest wall compliance, decreases in pulmonary function, and ultimately a decrease in exercise performance. Such restriction can be seen in several pathologic conditions such as scoliosis or obesity, as well as occupational situations such as the wearing of bullet-proof vests. This study investigated the hypothesis that tightened football shoulder pads produce decrements in pulmonary function similar to those shown in previous studies involving other external chest-wall restricting devices. In this study, 24 subjects, all members of a collegiate division IAA football team and used to wearing the pads, performed standard pulmonary function tests while wearing no pads (control, CTRL), wearing pads that were not secured (pads loose, PL) and while wearing pads secured "game-tight" (pads tight, PT). The data showed that both forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1.0) were significantly decreased in the PT condition compared to either the CTRL or PL condition, with no changes in the FEV1.0/FVC ratio or peak expiratory flow rate. These results are consistent with a restrictive condition and support our hypothesis that tightened shoulder pads reduce pulmonary function. Further studies remain to be performed to determine whether these changes lead to decreased exercise performance and whether equipment modifications can be made to limit alterations in pulmonary function without decreasing the protective value of the pads. Key PointsThe shoulder pads used in American football extend to the xyphoid process and may provide a restriction to breathing. This was tested in the present study in 24 college-level football players with normal resting pulmonary function.The results showed that there was a decrease in FVC of approximately 150 ml and a similar decrease in FEV1.0.Similar decreases in pulmonary function have been shown to provide a limitation to exercise capacity in otherwise healthy adults.Further study is needed to determine whether these changes lead to decrements in performance.
肺部或胸壁扩张受限会阻碍吸气时肺部充气。在这种限制下发生的功能变化包括肺和/或胸壁顺应性降低、肺功能下降，最终导致运动表现下降。这种限制可见于几种病理情况，如脊柱侧凸或肥胖，以及职业情况，如穿着防弹背心。本研究假设，紧身橄榄球肩垫会导致肺功能下降，类似于先前涉及其他外部胸壁限制装置的研究中所示的下降。在这项研究中，24 名受试者均为大学一级橄榄球甲级队的成员，习惯佩戴肩垫，他们在不佩戴肩垫（对照，CTRL）、未固定肩垫（肩垫松动，PL）和固定“比赛紧”肩垫（肩垫紧，PT）时进行标准肺功能测试。数据显示，与 CTRL 或 PL 条件相比，PT 条件下的用力肺活量（FVC）和 1 秒用力呼气量（FEV1.0）均显著降低，而 FEV1.0/FVC 比值或呼气峰流速无变化。这些结果与限制性条件一致，支持我们的假设，即收紧的肩垫会降低肺功能。需要进一步研究以确定这些变化是否导致运动表现下降，以及是否可以进行设备修改，在不降低肩垫保护价值的情况下限制肺功能的改变。关键点美国橄榄球中使用的肩垫延伸到剑突末端，可能会限制呼吸。本研究在 24 名具有正常静息肺功能的大学橄榄球运动员中对此进行了测试。结果表明 FVC 下降约 150ml，FEV1.0 也有类似下降。在其他健康成年人中，肺功能的类似下降已被证明会限制运动能力。需要进一步研究以确定这些变化是否会导致运动表现下降。
