Effect of a Respiratory Training Program on Woodwind and Brass Players

This project will study the effect of a respiratory training program on woodwind and brass players, using an inspiratory muscle training equipment. The goal is to understand whether it is possible to develop the inspiratory muscles of wind players through regular and planned training. Fourteen young wind players will be selected, in which 7 will be male and 7 will be female, playing different instruments. Inspiratory muscle training will be performed with the POWERBreath Plus Medium Resistance, and will consist of 30 maximal inspirations, twice a day, for 5 weeks.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Respiratory Function
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: POWERBreath Plus Medium Resistance training device

Detailed Description

This project will study the effect of a respiratory training program on woodwind and brass players, using an inspiratory muscle training equipment. The goal is to understand whether it is possible to develop the inspiratory muscles of wind players through regular and planned training. Fourteen young wind players will be selected, in which 7 will be male and 7 will be female, playing different instruments: transverse flute (1), oboe (2), saxophone (4), horn (4), trumpet (1), trombone (1) and tuba (1). Inspiratory muscle training will be performed with the POWERBreath Plus Medium Resistance, and will consist of 30 maximal inspirations, twice a day, for 5 weeks. The participants will be instructed on the use, handling and cleaning of the equipment. The participants will be instructed to use the equipment in a comfortable position, with a good posture, and will be instructed on how they should execute the inspiratory training: inhale to the maximum limit, with intensity, and exhale slowly and relaxed. An explanation will also be given about the calibration of the POWERbreathe, and the initial resistance level will be established based on the calculation of 50% of the Maximal Inspiratory Pressure of each participant, previously measured. Participants will also be instructed on how to increase the resistance level of POWERbreathe. The increase would be 1/4 of a level, whenever they no longer feel tired after a 30-inhalation workout. A questionnaire will be applied before, during and after the inspiratory training and they will be asked to record the daily use of the equipment in an online form, created for the purpose of recording its use by each participant. Assessment will be executed with the standard Borg Scale and the modified Borg scale. Surface electromyography (sEMG) of the right sternocleidomastoid, the right scalene muscles, the diaphragm and the right rectus abdominis will also be tested. Maximal inspiratory pressure and spirometry testing, specifically volume of forced vital capacity (FVC) or forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) and FEV1/FVC ratio will also be assessed.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 20
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Portugal
  • Aveiro, Portugal, 3810
    • Escola Superior de Saúde da Universidade de Aveiro

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• 18 years of age or over
• 10 years of musical experience

Exclusion Criteria:

• lung disease

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Other
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
No Intervention: Control; Subjects will carry on with their normal daily life
Experimental: POWERBreath; Subjects will train with the POWERBreath twice per day, for 30 continous breaths	Other: POWERBreath Plus Medium Resistance training device; 30 inspirations with the POWERBreath Plus Medium Resistance training device, twice per day for 5 weeks

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
subjective physical effort	subjective physical effort, assessed with the Borg scale (scale: 6-20; 6= "Very, very light"; 20= "Very, very hard")	5 weeks
maximum inspiratory pressure	Maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP) is an important and non-invasive index of diaphragm strength and an independent predictor of all-cause mortality (units of measure: (cmH2O).	5 weeks
dyspnea	subjective respiratory effort, assessed with the modified Borg scale (scale: 0-10; 0= "Nothing at all"; 10= "Very, very strong")	5 weeks
surface electromyography (sEMG)	sEMG od the scalene, sternocleidomastoid, diaphragm and abdominal muscle activity (units of measure: millivolts)	5 weeks
spirometry: Forced expiratory volume in one second (VEF1)	to assess lung function: the assessment of the forced expiratory volume in the fisrt second of the expiratory effort (units of measure: milliliters)	5 weeks
spirometry: volume of forced vital capacity (FVC)	to assess lung function: the assessment of the total forced vital capacity (units of measure: milliliters)	5 weeks
spirometry: ratio between VEF1 and FVC	the ratio of the forced expiratory volume in the first one second to the forced vital capacity of the lungs. The normal value for this ratio is above 0.75-85 %, though this is age dependent (units of measure: %).	5 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Aveiro University
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Catarina Monteiro, University of Aveiro

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Drinkwater EJ, Klopper CJ. Quantifying the physical demands of a musical performance and their effects on performance quality. Med Probl Perform Art. 2010 Jun;25(2):66-71.
• Arend M, Kivastik J, Maestu J. Maximal inspiratory pressure is influenced by intensity of the warm-up protocol. Respir Physiol Neurobiol. 2016 Aug;230:11-5. doi: 10.1016/j.resp.2016.05.002. Epub 2016 May 12.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): April 1, 2023
• Primary Completion (Actual): June 30, 2023
• Study Completion (Actual): June 30, 2023

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: November 24, 2023
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 5, 2023
• First Posted (Actual): December 18, 2023

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): February 5, 2024
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 2, 2024
• Last Verified: February 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Inspiratory muscle training; musicians; lung capacity
• Other Study ID Numbers: Musician respiratory training

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO
• IPD Plan Description: Data will be shared upon fundamented request.

Drug and device information, study documents

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