Effects of different Diaphragm Breathing Methods on the Diaphragm Thickening Ratio and Pulmonary Function in Young Adults

PURPOSE: This study examined the effective impact of self and resistive and ultrasound-biofeedback diaphragm breathing on the pulmonary function and diaphragm thickening ratio of young adults. METHODS: Thirty normal adults were assigned randomly to three experimental groups (self- diaphragm breathing (n=9), resistive-diaphragm breathing (n=11), ultrasound-biofeedback diaphragm breathing (n=10)). Each group participated for 15 minutes for times with a two minute rest between two sets. The subjects were assessed using the pre- and post- diaphragm thickening ratio and the pulmonary function (forced vital capacity, forced expiratory volume at one second, maximal voluntary ventilation, and respiratory rate) on the thirty subjects. A paired t-test was to determine the difference between before and after the experiment in each group of diaphragm breathing before and after the exercises. One-way ANOVA was used to determine the differences between the groups. RESULTS: The forced vital capacity and maximal voluntary ventilation measurements revealed a significant difference in the resistive-diaphragm breathing group than the other two groups. On the other hand, there was no significant difference between the self-diaphragm breathing and ultrasound-biofeedback breathing groups. CONCLUSION: The resistive-diaphragm breathing group showed greater improvement in the pulmonary function than the other two groups. Therefore, resistive-diaphragm breathing will improve the pulmonary function on normal young adults.