Natural breath control during lifting tasks: effect of load

Anecdotal evidence suggests that people hold their breath during lifting tasks in order to increase intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) and thereby increase lumbar stability. Studies have shown that voluntary control of the breath influences IAP and that increases in IAP are related to increases in lumbar stability. However, a description of naturally occurring breath control during whole-body lifting tasks in normal healthy subjects is currently not available. Therefore, the specific aims of this study were to: (1) determine the naturally occurring breath patterns during lifting tasks in healthy subjects; (2) determine the effects of different levels of load during lifting tasks on natural breath control patterns in healthy subjects. The present study enrolled 20 healthy subjects to describe inspired volume and categories of airflow direction (inspiration, expiration, or breath hold) during two self-paced lifts of crates loaded at 5, 15, and 25% of body weight. When the breath pattern was examined across all loads there was a significant increase in the magnitude of inspired volume and the frequency of occurrence of inspiration immediately prior to lift-off. When examining the effect of load on breath patterns, there was a significant increase of inspired volume and occurrence of breath holding when lifting the heavy load compared to the medium and light loads. These results suggest that: (1) distinct patterns of natural breath control occur during lifting tasks; and (2) breath control is responsive to the timing and magnitude of load lifted.