Expiratory muscles modulate negative expiratory pressure-induced flow during muscular exercise

The recruitment of expiratory muscles during exercise might be altered by the application of negative expiratory pressure (NEP) inducing a feature of expiratory flow limitation (EFL) called muscle EFL. To check this hypothesis EFL and expiratory muscle EMG (ExpEMG) were measured at rest and during exercise in eight healthy subjects. Six subjects performed isocapnic hyperventilation. At 5hPa NEP, 5/8 subjects had EFL during exercise. This limitation disappeared when NEP value was increased and did not appear during isocapnic hyperventilation. During exercise, in limited subjects, ExpEMG was significantly reduced during expiration with NEP as compared to control. Gastric pressure measured in a limited subject increased during expiration but less with NEP than without it, while this pressure measured in another, non-limited, subject decreased. An inhibitory reflex due to negative pressure could be responsible for muscle EFL by reducing expiratory muscle activity. The response to NEP during exercise should be interpreted with caution.