• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.59-63
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• 2016

PURPOSE: The purpose of the present study is to examine the effects of sole Pilates based breathing on the thicknesses of the abdominal muscles. METHODS: Twenty adults aged in their 20-30s were randomly selected. The selection criteria were those who had no medical history of pain due to musculoskeletal system, neurologic, or orthopedic diseases within six months before the selection. The thicknesses of the abdominal muscles (the transversus abdominis muscle, internal oblique abdominal muscle, and external oblique abdominal muscle) of the subjects were measured using ultrasonography before and after Pilates breathing. The study was approved by the research ethics committee of the Catholic University of Pusan. RESULTS: After Pilates based breathing, the thicknesses of the transversus abdominis muscle, the internal oblique abdominal muscle, and the external oblique abdominal muscle increased significantly. In particular, the thickness increase rate of the transversus abdominis muscle was shown to be the highest. CONCLUSION: Sole Pilates based breathing is expected to be effective for the improvement of trunk stability through strengthening of abdominal muscles, because it induces the coordinated contraction of the transversus abdominis muscle and other abdominal muscle. It will be need the Longitudinal study for identify to long term effects of Pilates based breathing.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.129-136
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• 2018

PURPOSE: This Study compared the level of activation of the muscles around the shoulder at the time of abduction through Pilates breathing and regular breathing by using quantified biofeedback. METHODS: Experiment was conducted on 25 healthy males and females in the age bracket of 20's~30's as the subjects. The level of activation of muscles displayed at the time of Pilates breathing were measured at intercostal (InC) muscle, transverse abdominis (TrA) muscle, internal oblique (IO) muscle and external oblique (EO) muscle by using surface electromyogram (EMG) and were provided as biofeedback. Moreover, the changes in the level of muscular activation at sternocleidomastoid (SCM) muscle, upper trapezius (UT) muscle and Deltoid (Del) muscle, which are the muscles around the shoulder, at the time of abduction of shoulder during Pilates breathing and regular breathing were measured. RESULTS: When abduction of shoulder is executed through Pilates breathing, the level of muscular activation of UT muscle was $11.56{\pm}7.10%$ at the time of exhaling of Pilates breathing and $17.54{\pm}9.57%$ at the time of exhaling of regular breathing. Del muscle also displayed lowered level of muscular activation at the time of Pilates breathing with $12.88{\pm}5.80%$ during inhaling and $15.14{\pm}5.49%$ during exhaling. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, the results could be interpreted as indicating that the muscle activities of upper trapezius and deltoid muscle were decreased based on Pilates breathing more than those on regular breathing.