Changes in the transverses abdominis muscle thickness caused by abdominal pressure breathing

Abstract

[Purpose] The effectiveness of a proposed abdominal pressure breathing exercise for improvement of the transversus abdominis (TrA) thickness was investigated. [Subjects] The subjects were 23 healthy adults with an average age of 20.7 ± 0.8 years. [Methods] The subjects were randomly divided into two groups of breathing, one with and the other without abdominal pressure. Each subject’s TrA thickness was measured three times, time 1, time 2 and after the exercise task, to analyze the temporal changes in muscle thickness, and differences between the two tasks. [Result] A significant increase in muscle thickness was found in the breathing with abdominal pressure group after completion of the exercise task. [Conclusion] The results suggest that training of the TrA, a muscle which is rarely consciously activated on a daily basis, utilizing breathing with abdominal pressure can achieve strengthening of TrA contraction.