Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Availability

Open Access Thesis

Keywords

Nasal dilator strips; Respiration; Academic theses;

Abstract

In recent years coaches and athletes have given attention to the Breathe-Right nasal strip (BRNS) to help improve breathing and possibly enhance exercise performance. The BRNS is placed on the outer nose and is supposed to lift and expand the flexible cartilage of the nasal valve and make it "easier to breathe." This study was conducted to determine whether the application of the BRNS will improve maximum voluntary ventilation (MVV) using both nasal and oral breathing ( oronasal breathing). An MVV test is often used to simulate breathing at peak exercise and is the best indicator of overall function of the respiratory system (Ruppel, 1998). Thirty Caucasian subjects (15 male, 15 female) performed a 15-second MVV test in three testing conditions: Breathe-Right (BRNS), placebo (a Band-Aid with athletic tape), and a control (no device). In each test, the subject was required to breathe oronasally in and out as deeply and rapidly as possible for 15-seconds while wearing a full facemask. There were no significant differences in MVV while wearing a BRNS, placebo strip, or no device (F(2) = 1.854,p > .05). It was concluded that the BRNS does not improve MVV when compared to a placebo and no device. Therefore, the efficacy of wearing a BRNS to improve performance is questionable.

Year of Submission

2003

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Department

School of Health, Physical Education, and Leisure Services

First Advisor

Forrest Dolgener

Second Advisor

Kevin Finn

Third Advisor

Mick Mack

Comments

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Date Original

2003

Object Description

1 PDF file (46 leaves)

Language

en

File Format

application/pdf

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