Short-Term Effects of Two Breathing Retraining Strategies in Women With Upper-Chest–Dominant Breathing

Comparison of changes in abdominal thickness, rib cage mobility, and expiratory pressure, infra-sternal angle according to the breathing methods of healthy women with Wide Infra-sternal Angle: A Randomized Con-trolled Trial

Status

Active, not recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

CRIS

Registry ID

KCT0012142

Enrollment

Registered

2026-06-17

Start date

2022-11-30

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2026-06-22

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

None listed

Interventions

Others(Behavioral intervention / Exercise intervention / Breathing retraining) : The intervention was conducted over two weeks, with a total of six sessions lasting approximately 30 minutes each. Both

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

Female

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: Women aged 20 years or older Participants with an upper-chest–dominant breathing pattern identified by the HI–LO test Participants with an increased infra-sternal angle, operationally defined as 95° or greater in this study

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: Clinically significant respiratory or thoracic conditions, such as chronic lung disease, prior thoracic surgery, chest-wall deformity, or rib/sternal fracture within the past 6 months Major spinal deformity or neurological disorders affecting trunk control Body mass index (BMI) of 30 kg/m² or higher Pregnancy Current smoking

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
Right ISA, left ISA, and total ISA were assessed. Total ISA was defined as the sum of the right and left ISA values. ISA was measured from standardized anterior chest photographs and analyzed in degrees using ImageJ software.;Upper and lower chest circumference and chest expansion were assessed. Chest expansion was calculated as the difference between maximal inspiratory and maximal expiratory chest circumference at each level, measured in centimeters using a measuring tape.;Peak expiratory flow rate was assessed using a portable peak flow meter. Participants were instructed to inhale maximally and then exhale as fast and forcefully as possible. The mean value of three acceptable trials was recorded in L/min.;Resting muscle thickness of the bilateral external oblique, internal oblique, transversus abdominis, and rectus abdominis muscles was assessed using ultrasound imaging. Measurements were recorded in millimeters.	—

Measure

Time frame

Right ISA, left ISA, and total ISA were assessed. Total ISA was defined as the sum of the right and left ISA values. ISA was measured from standardized anterior chest photographs and analyzed in degrees using ImageJ software.;Upper and lower chest circumference and chest expansion were assessed. Chest expansion was calculated as the difference between maximal inspiratory and maximal expiratory chest circumference at each level, measured in centimeters using a measuring tape.;Peak expiratory flow rate was assessed using a portable peak flow meter. Participants were instructed to inhale maximally and then exhale as fast and forcefully as possible. The mean value of three acceptable trials was recorded in L/min.;Resting muscle thickness of the bilateral external oblique, internal oblique, transversus abdominis, and rectus abdominis muscles was assessed using ultrasound imaging. Measurements were recorded in millimeters.

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Secondary

Measure	Time frame
Breathing-related symptom burden was assessed using the Self-Evaluation of Breathing Questionnaire (SEBQ). Perceived physical symptoms during the intervention period were explored using the Perceived Physical Symptom Questionnaire (PPSQ).	—

Countries

Korea, Republic of

Contacts

Public ContactSeon ah jeong

Yonsei University Mirae Campus

sweety63x@gmail.com+82-70-8648-2202

Outcome results