Immediate and Long-term Effects of an Adaptation of the "Balloon-blowing Exercise"

Immediate and Long-term Effects of an Adaptation of the "Balloon-blowing Exercise" on the Thoracoabdominal Movement in Healthy Students - a Randomized Controlled Trial

Despite the literature evidence that the "balloon-blowing exercise" improves the pulmonary function as a long-term effect, this exercise has not yet been studied or tested experimentally, meaning that there are no specific and measurable results that attest the improvement on thoracoabdominal movement.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Healthy
• Intervention / Treatment: Procedure: An adaptation of the "balloon-blowing" exercise; Procedure: An adaptation of the "balloon-blowing" exercise for seven weeks, three times a week, at home

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 42
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Portugal
  • Porto, Portugal, 4200-072
    • Escola Superior de Saúde - Instituto Politécnico do Porto

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 25 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

The target population consisted of healthy physiotherapy students from School of Health - Polytechnic of Porto, who volunteered to participate in study.

Inclusion criteria:

- In the Experimental Group B were admitted individuals that, through the analysis of the training record sheet, had executed 2⁄3 of the programmed sessions.

Exclusion criteria:

• Individuals that had participated in aerobic physical activities of moderate (i.e., at least 30 minutes on five days per week) or vigorous intensity (i.e., at least 20 minutes on three days per week) for more than one year;
• Chronic nonspecific lumbopelvic pain (i.e., recurrent episodes of lumbopelvic pain for a period exceeding three months);
• Flu symptoms or respiratory infection up to one week before data collection;
• History of recent ribs fracture and pain in the last three months;
• Pulmonary or rib cage previous pathologies;
• Length discrepancy of the lower limbs or other postural asymmetries;
• History of spinal, gynaecological, or abdominal surgery in the previous year;
• Recurrent muscle/joint pain and history of musculoskeletal injury in the last three months;
• Smoking and/or drinking habits.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

4

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Experimental group A; Participants executed two sets of twelve repetitions of an adaptation of the "balloon-blowing" exercise.	Procedure: An adaptation of the "balloon-blowing" exercise; The participants were positioned in supine, on a semi-rigid surface, with the upper limbs placed above the level of the head, at rest. Their feet were also placed at a resting position on a wall and with their hips and knees at 90o of flexion. The cervical was placed in a neutral position and the pelvis was maintained in a posterior pelvic tilt, both structures corrected by the researcher. The participants were asked to contract the adductors, maintaining a bilateral and symmetric pressure between 10 and 15 mmHg on two sphygmomanometers placed between the knees. Also, an isometric contraction of the hamstrings and gluteus was requested. A Threshold®, with a minimum resistance of 5 cmH2O, and they were instructed to close their lips around the mouthpiece, to avoid air leaks. To start the exercise, it was transmitted to the participants to make a maximum inspiration through the nose, for two seconds. Subsequently, a maximum exhalation throughout the threshold was made for three seconds.; Other Names: Motor control exercise A
No Intervention: Control group A; No intervention was applied.
Experimental: Experimental group B; Participants executed two sets of twelve repetitions of an adaptation of the "balloon-blowing" exercise for seven weeks, three times a week, at home.	Procedure: An adaptation of the "balloon-blowing" exercise for seven weeks, three times a week, at home; The participants were positioned in supine, on a semi-rigid surface, with the upper limbs placed above the level of the head, at rest. Their feet were also placed at a resting position on a wall and with their hips and knees at 90o of flexion. The cervical was placed in a neutral position and the pelvis was maintained in a posterior pelvic tilt, both structures corrected by the researcher. The participants were asked to contract the adductors, maintaining a bilateral and symmetric pressure between 10 and 15 mmHg on two sphygmomanometers placed between the knees. Also, an isometric contraction of the hamstrings and gluteus was requested. A Threshold®, with a minimum resistance of 5 cmH2O, and they were instructed to close their lips around the mouthpiece, to avoid air leaks. To start the exercise, it was transmitted to the participants to make a maximum inspiration through the nose, for two seconds. Subsequently, a maximum exhalation throughout the threshold was made for three seconds.; Other Names: Motor control exercise B
No Intervention: Control group B; No intervention was applied.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Anterior-to-posterior movement of the upper rib cage	Thoracoabdominal movement was measure through "Qualisys motion capture system".	Immediate after procedure
Anterior-to-posterior movement of the lower rib cage	Thoracoabdominal movement was measure through "Qualisys motion capture system".	Immediate after procedure
Anterior-to-posterior abdominal movement	Thoracoabdominal movement was measure through "Qualisys motion capture system".	Immediate after procedure
Medial-to-lateral movement of the upper rib cage	Thoracoabdominal movement was measure through "Qualisys motion capture system".	Immediate after procedure
Medial-to-lateral movement of the lower rib cage	Thoracoabdominal movement was measure through "Qualisys motion capture system".	Immediate after procedure
Anterior-to-posterior movement of the upper rib cage	Thoracoabdominal movement was measure through "Qualisys motion capture system".	Seven weeks
Anterior-to-posterior movement of the lower rib cage	Thoracoabdominal movement was measure through "Qualisys motion capture system".	Seven weeks
Anterior-to-posterior abdominal movement	Thoracoabdominal movement was measure through "Qualisys motion capture system".	Seven weeks
Medial-to-lateral movement of the upper rib cage	Thoracoabdominal movement was measure through "Qualisys motion capture system".	Seven weeks
Medial-to-lateral movement of the lower rib cage	Thoracoabdominal movement was measure through "Qualisys motion capture system".	Seven weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Escola Superior de Tecnologia da Saúde do Porto

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Key J. 'The core': understanding it, and retraining its dysfunction. J Bodyw Mov Ther. 2013 Oct;17(4):541-59. doi: 10.1016/j.jbmt.2013.03.012. Epub 2013 Jun 28.
• Boyle KL, Olinick J, Lewis C. The value of blowing up a balloon. N Am J Sports Phys Ther. 2010 Sep;5(3):179-88.
• De Troyer A. Respiratory effect of the lower rib displacement produced by the diaphragm. J Appl Physiol (1985). 2012 Feb;112(4):529-34. doi: 10.1152/japplphysiol.01067.2011. Epub 2011 Dec 1.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): February 1, 2021
• Primary Completion (Actual): March 31, 2021
• Study Completion (Actual): March 31, 2021

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: January 30, 2021
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 30, 2021
• First Posted (Actual): February 4, 2021

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): August 31, 2021
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 30, 2021
• Last Verified: August 1, 2021

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: ESS-Balloon

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No