Having recently been awarded his Masters by Research from Leeds Beckett University, our Senior Sports Therapist Tom explains how this will inform his practice at Kinetic Clinics going forwards:

“My masters thesis explored dysfunctional breathing and its current implications, assessment and management in musculoskeletal therapies. The inspiration for this topic area was off the back of our work as neuromuscular activation therapists, where a significant aspect of our work is in assessing and managing breathing mechanics.

What is dysfunctional breathing?

Dysfunctional breathing is an umbrella term, which encompasses lots of different types of abnormal breathing. This includes, but is not limited to, types of abnormal breathing such as hyperventilation, breathing pattern disorders, shortness of breath and stress related breathing disorders.

It is estimated that approximately 80% of the population use a form of dysfunctional breathing regularly, leaving around 20% of people breathing normally on a day-to-day basis. 

Of course, breathing is incredibly important to get right! So, when it is compromised in some way, it can be detrimental to our physical and mental health.

Why is dysfunctional breathing important to consider for my health?

Lots of different types of dysfunctional breathing exist, and some will be easily recognisable to most people:

• Thoracic dominant breathing – chest breathing
• Periodic deep sighing – intermittent but frequent sighing
• Forced abdominal expiration – breathing out whilst tensing your abdominals
• Thoraco-abdominal asynchrony – where the abdomen and the chest move alternately without a regular or smooth pattern. 
• Hyperventilation – short, fast (over) breathing

There are four types of effects that dysfunctional breathing could have on your body: anatomical impacts, biomechanical impacts, physiological impacts and neurological impacts. Below are a few snapshots of information, taken from scientific publications, about some of the effects dysfunctional breathing can have on your body:

Figure 1 The diaphragm sits at the base of the rib cage in a domelike shape. This image depicts the proximity of the muscles around the diaphragm and their points of contact.

Key anatomical impacts:

• Being anatomically linked to the psoas major (hip flexor), the diaphragm can influence the length and therefore the usability of the psoas major.
• Similarly, the quadratus lumborum muscle (lower back) can be impacted by the diaphragm.
• In addition, the pelvic floor is anatomically linked via fascia (connective tissue) and thus can be influenced by dysfunctional breathing also.

*All of the above can cause/contribute to bouts of lower back pain.

Key biomechanical impacts:

• Dysfunctional breathing has been proven to worsen an individual’s functional movement screening scores. This points towards a less efficient pattern of movement being employed when doing so, as a result of poor postural stability.
• The diaphragm is significantly involved in core stability, according to the cylinder theory, and thus any dysfunction in the diaphragm can and will result in poor core stability.
• Mouth breathing leads to poor postural stability, particularly in children, when compared with nasal breathing.
• Thoracic dominant breathing (a common method of dysfunctional breathing) causes postural muscle fatigue, neck and shoulder tension and back pain.

Key physiological impacts:

• Hyperventilation can lead to increased lactate build up leading to more frequent and severe cramping.

Key neurological impacts:

• Dysfunctional breathing can lead to an increased activation of your fight or flight state, exacerbating anxiety symptoms and stress related conditions.
• It can also lead to a greater feeling of negative emotion due to the neurological changes which occur as a result of dysfunctional breathing.

How can we assess dysfunctional breathing?

Part of my masters thesis was exploring the current scientific literature to identify methods of assessment for dysfunctional breathing and give direction to future research and practitioners in how to do so. As a result, I have at my disposal and am familiar with several methods of assessing breathing, each having their pros and cons, but this allows me to further investigate and pinpoint how dysfunctional your breathing is, and more importantly, what impact that could be having on you and your health.

More specifically we can assess you for dysfunctional breathing using our subjective assessment skills, completing an observational assessment and then a hands-on assessment, covering all bases.

How can we improve dysfunctional breathing?

There are three main methods of re-training your breathing and reducing the amount of time you spend breathing abnormally: breathing re-education, breathing exercises and manual therapy. We can educate you on what breathing normally looks and feels like, reinforce that by prescribing you some exercises to strengthen your breathing mechanics and, if needed, give you a helping hand (literally!) in helping you to breath more efficiently.

So, what next?

If you feel you would benefit from having your breathing assessed and that you can make improvements in your breathing then give us a call and book yourself in for a consultation! Likewise, if you suffer with back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain, or any of the above-mentioned conditions and symptoms, including anxiety and stress related conditions, then maybe improving your breathing could help you on the road to recovery? 

You don’t know until you’ve had it assessed and, if necessary, fixed!”

In the meantime, Tom will be looking to crack on with planning for his PhD…