• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.63-73
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• 2020

Purpose: To investigate breathing-related changes in the balance ability of healthy adults. Methods: The participants were 36 healthy adults in their 20s and 30s. All participants were trained in three breathing (neutral, thoracic, and abdominal) methods one week before measurements. We used AccuSway to measure each participant's balance ability, using each breathing technique, in two postures (bipedal and unipedal). Results: During the bipedal balance task, abdominal breathing produced significant increases in path length and sway velocity. Abdominal breathing resulted in significant changes in sample entropy at the anteroposterior location compared with neutral breathing (p<.05). In the normalized anteroposterior location, there were significant changes in backward movement during thoracic and abdominal breathing compared with those during neutral breathing (p<.05). During the unipedal balance task, path length and sway velocity increased significantly during voluntary breathing compared with those during neutral breathing (p<.05). There was a significant change in backward movement when abdominal breathing-compared with neutral breathing-was used in the normalized anteroposterior location (p<.05). In the normalized left-right location, there was a significant shift to the right during thoracic breathing compared with that during neutral breathing (p<.05). Conclusion: Compared with neutral breathing, altered voluntary breathing patterns affect balance in healthy adults. Our results indicated that that static balance was more affected by abdominal breathing than by neutral breathing. Future studies should examine variables such as the breathing volume, rhythm, and method.

• 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.

• Women's Health Nursing
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.196-204
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• 2008

Purpose: This study aimed to examine the effects abdominal breathing on anxiety and length of labor time in primipara women. Method: It was a quasi-experimental design with a non-equivalent comparison group, performed from October 11 to December 4, 2007. Thirty-six subjects who received pitocin and met the inclusion criteria were chosen by convenience sampling from the labor room of Y hospital located in Seoul. The intervention of abdominal breathing was 'four seconds of inhale, six seconds of exhale breathing method.' The abdominal breathing was carried out 30 times each when the uterine cervix was dilated $3{\sim}4cm$ and $5{\sim}6cm$. Psychological anxiety was measured by VAS-A before and after the cervix dilatation to $3{\sim}4cm$ and $5{\sim}6cm$. Result: Anxiety scores of the experimental was found lower than that of the control group at $3{\sim}4cm$(z=-3.05, p=.00) and $5{\sim}6cm$(z=-2.04, p=.04) of cervix dilatation. However, the abdominal breathing was not effective to the length of labor from the active phase thru full dilatation, though there was 56 minutes of difference between the two groups. Conclusion: Carrying out the abdominal breathing 30 times at two time points was effective in decreasing anxiety level during labor. Further study is suggested to examine the effects of abdominal breathing on labor time, fetal heart rate, and uterine contraction.

• Journal of Korean Critical Care Nursing
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.37-50
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• 2011

Purpose: This study is to evaluate the effect of abdominal breathing on postoperative pain, state anxiety, blood pressure, and heart rate of cardiac surgery patients treated in intensive care unit. Methods: A non-synchronized design of nonequivalent control group pre-post test was used. Participants were divided into an experimental group(n=22) and a control group(n=21). Just usual postoperative treatments were provided to the control group, while abdominal breathing interventions were provided to the experimental group, in addition to usual treatments. The intervention was consisted of 4 stages-introductions, breathing perception, breathing training, and closing-and it lasted twelve minutes in total. Pain, state anxiety, blood pressure and heart rate were the dependent variables of the abdominal breathing. Results: Those who carried out abdominal breathing showed a significant reduction in pain, as well as decrease of systolic blood pressure. However, it turned out to have no effect on state anxiety, diastolic blood pressure and heart rate. Conclusion: Abdominal breathing is simple and harmless and is effective for reducing postoperative pain.

• PNF and Movement
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.103-109
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• 2015

Purpose: Abdominal breathing exercises are recommended to activate the breathing muscles and the pelvic floor muscles, as well as to increase postural alignment during exhalation. The purpose of this study was to clarify the effect of improving abdominal muscle strength on menstrual pain in women in their twenties using abdominal breathing exercises. Method: In this study, 32 female university students were included as the subjects. The subjects were divided into two groups based on the area of menstrual pain: lumbar pain (n=16) and lower abdomen pain (n=16). The abdominal breathing positions were divided into two positions, which included a hook lying position and hip and knee flexions at $90^{\circ}$ in the supine position. Exercises were used to strengthen the abdominal muscles during exhalation. Four sets of the exercises were completed three times a week over the course of eight weeks. The degree of pain was measured using the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS). Muscle thickness was measured using an ultrasound. Result: The thickness of the transverse abdominis (TrA) and internal oblique (IO) increased in the lower abdomen pain group. However, thickness of the external oblique (EO) did not increased following abdominal breathing. No significant difference in posture was identified in the lower abdomen group. TrA thickness increased significantly in the lumbar pain group. However, thickness did not increase significantly in the lumbar pain group. In addition, the lumbar pain group experienced no significant effects on posture. IO thickness increased following hip and knee flexions at $90^{\circ}$ in the lumbar pain group. Menstrual pain decreased following intervention in both groups. There was no significant difference in the degree of pain reduction between both groups. Conclusion: As examples of alternative medicine, abdominal breathing exercises may be effective in decreasing menstrual pain.

• Women's Health Nursing
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.32-42
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• 2009

Purpose: This study was done to examine the effects of abdominal breathing on VAS-Anxiety (VAS-A), blood pressure, peripheral skin temperature and saturation oxygen in pregnant women in preterm labor. Method: The study design was a matched control group interrupted time series. Forty-six women matched to gestational age were assigned to either the experimental group (26) or control group (20). Data were collected between March 2007 and May 2008. For the experimental treatment the women performed abdominal breathing 30 times, which took 5 minutes, and did one set of 5-minute abdominal breathing daily for three days. Data collection was done before and after the abdominal breathing to measure VAS-A, blood pressure, peripheral skin temperature and oxygen saturation. Descriptive, $X^2$, Mann-Whitney U tests were used to analyze the data with the SPSS/PC+Win 15.0 program. Result: For the experimental group there were significant decreases in VAS-A (Z=-4.37, p=.00), systolic blood pressure (Z=-3.38, p=.00), and an increase in skin temperature (Z=-4.50, p=.00) and oxygen saturation (Z=-3.66, p=.00). Conclusion: These findings suggest that abdominal breathing in pregnant women in preterm labor results in decreases in anxiety(VAS-A) including biological evidences such as systolic blood pressure, and increases in peripheral skin temperature and oxygen saturation. Further longitudinal study is needed on the lasting effects and obstetric and neonatal outcomes following abdominal breathing.

• Women's Health Nursing
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.106-114
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• 2006

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of abdominal breathing on relieving anxiety in women diagnosed with preterm labor. Method: This was a pilot study, which was based on a repeated pre-post experiment design without a control group. Seven patients with preterm labor who were admitted to Y university medical center, Seoul, Korea, participated in the experiment. They were under receiving ritodrine hydrochloride(Yutopa) as tocolytic therapy and did not have any other complications. The patients were taught abdominal breathing, which is a modified version of Mason's breathing technique. The experimental treatments were done 33 times from February 18 to June 19 in 2005. Result: After abdominal breathing, the average psychological anxiety level decreased significantly. The physical anxiety levels of preterm labor patients were measured by blood pressure, pulse, and skin temperature. After abdominal breathing, the average systolic and diastolic blood pressure decreased from 117.3mmHg to 107.6 mmHg (z=-3.85, p<.001) and from 67.3mmHg to 62.7 mmHg (z=-3.14, p<.005), respectively. The average pulse rate also decreased from 97.2/min to 89.8/mim (z=-4.76, p<.001). The average skin temperature increased from 94.0 to 94.9(z=-4.80. p<.001). Conclusion: Abdominal breathing is effective for relieving anxiety of women diagnosed with preterm labor. This study, however, has been limited to short-term effects, and therefore further studies are required in order to examine the long-term effects of abdominal breathing.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.1-9
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• 2016

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to examine the effects of abdominal breathing and thoracic expansion exercises on craniovertebral and cranial rotation angles in patients with rotator cuff injury. METHODS: This study enrolled 19 patients with rotator cuff injury, and ten and nine of the patients were randomly placed in abdominal breathing and thoracic expansion exercise groups, respectively. After pain treatment in each group, breathing exercise was conducted thrice a week for four weeks. The patients were recorded by using a digital camera and Image J (version 1.46, National Institutes of Health, USA), an angle measurement program, was used to analyze changes in the craniovertebral angle, cranial rotation angle, and sagittal shoulder posture. RESULTS: Statistically significant differences in the craniovertebral angle were found in both the abdominal breathing and thoracic expansion exercise groups (p<.05). A significant difference in cranial rotation angle was found in the thoracic expansion exercise group only (p<.05). No statistically significant differences in sagittal shoulder posture were found in both groups (p>.05). CONCLUSION: Although abdominal breathing and thoracic expansion exercises did not effectively change sagittal shoulder posture, the exercises were effective in improving craniovertebral and cranial rotation angles. Therefore, abdominal breathing and thoracic expansion exercises are suggested as effective exercise programs for forward head posture.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.63-69
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• 2014

Cross knee curl-up is an ideal variation of abdominal curl up exercise to strengthen abdominal musculature without excessive lumbar flexion which can increase the loads on the disc and ligaments. In addition, slowly forced expiration can facilitate the activation of the abdominal musculature. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of slowly forced expiration on activity of abdominal muscles, such as rectus abdominis (RA), external oblique (EO), and transverse abdominis/internal oblique (TrA/IO), while cross knee curl-up. Eleven young and healthy subjects (6 males and 5 females) participated. All subjects performed the cross knee curl-up slowly forced expiration and natural breathing. Paired t-test was performed in normalized electromyogram (EMG) muscle activity of the bilateral RA, EO, and TrA/IO to compare the differences between the cross curl-up with slowly forced expiration and natural breathing. Statistical significance was set at .05. There were no significant differences in normalized EMG muscle activity of the bilateral RA, EO, and TrA/IO between the cross curl-up with slowly forced expiration and natural breathing. The finding of this study designates that slowly forced expiration does not induce increasing activity of abdominal muscle in cross knee curl-up; hence, learning step of breathing control might not be necessary to strengthen abdominal muscle in cross knee curl-up.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.117-125
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• 2022

PURPOSE: This study was carried out to examine the changes in the trunk control ability and hand grip when the abdominal draw-in maneuver using breathing was applied to stroke patients, and provide basic data regarding the trunk stabilization exercise. METHOD: After randomly placing patients in group I-applying the existing abdominal draw-in exercise and group II -applying the abdominal draw-in exercise using breathing, the intervention program was performed ten times per set (five sets per session), once a day, four times a week, for a total of four weeks. For the pre-tests before the intervention, trunk damage and hand grip were measured. After the four weeks of intervention, post-tests were conducted in the same way as the pre-tests for analyzing the study results. RESULTS: Both groups had significant differences in trunk control ability and hand grip (p < .05). The comparison between the two groups showed, significant differences only in the trunk control a ability(p < .05). CONCLUSION: The abdominal draw-in exercise using breathing led to the efficient contraction of abdominal muscles, which implies this is a more effective intervention to improve the trunk control ability.