Study of pulmonary functions in swimmers of Lucknow city

In this study, the pulmonary functions of young swimmers of K.D. Singh Babu Stadium, Lucknow were studied, 20 swimmers of the age group of 15-20 years were chosen along with 15 students as controls. The parameters taken into account were Forced Vital Capacity (FVC), Forced Expiratory Volume (FEV1) and Peak Expiratory Flow Rate (PEFR). Two sets of readings were recorded. One before the start and the other at the end of the practice season. These readings were compared to each other and also with the values of the controls. The results indicate that swimming has considerable effect on enhancing lung functions of an individual as FVC, FEV1, PEFR were significantly raised in swimmers after swimming session. Such results suggest that swimming may be induced in the exercise programme for rehabilitation of respiratory patients who have compromised lung functions.