The Importance of Corrective Breathing

I wanted to make a quick post on corrective breathing strategies and why they are important. These play a big role in athletes and the general public. Being able to properly utilize your diaphragm can play a big role in reducing or preventing many common symptoms, including hip and back pain.


The Postural Restoration Institute are the leaders in this field. Here is their mission statement, plucked directly from their website:

"The PRI mission is to explore postural adaptations and asymmetries and their influence on the polyarticular chains of the body. Our mission is based on the development of an innovative treatment approach that explains the primary contributors of postural kinetic and kinematic movement dysfunction."

 
The basic PRI concepts rely on asymmetry. All of our body systems (respiratory, visual, neurological, muscular, etc.) are asymmetrical. While this asymmetry can't be changed, we can and should make an effort to reduce this one-sided dominance as much as possible.

As human beings, our "dominant" side is the right side. This lateralization is normal, but what we don’t want is the right to be overly favored. Too much right dominance essentially creates left sided neglect.

Rather than try to explain the concept of diaphragmatic breathing through text, I have found a few helpful videos that may be easier to understand. Try watching these short clips and utilizing the breathing techniques in them each day when you awake and/or when going to bed. Hopefully you see an improvement in your ability to move comfortable with less tension in your accessory musculature in your neck and core.

Diaphragmatic Breathing Part 1

Diaphragmatic Breathing Part 2

Diaphragmatic Breathing Part 3