The diaphragm plays an unknown role in the body – it helps us maintain the balance of the body – scientists from Silesia showed in their research. Their experiment showed that the greater the thickness and mobility of this muscle during the breath, the better the human balance.
The diaphragm is primarily the main respiratory muscle and the anatomical barrier that separates the chest and abdominal cavities. Its respiratory function also supports the work of the cardiovascular and lymphatic systems and ensures adequate stability of the lumbar spine.
«In our work, we have discovered an additional role that the diaphragm can play. This role is related to the maintenance of the static balance of the body by man ”- says Dr. Janusz Kocjan from the Department and Clinic of Thoracic Surgery of the Medical University of Silesia in Katowice. This is because the diaphragm modulates the pressure in the abdominal cavity. Scientists on his team now want to see if breathing exercises for the diaphragm muscle can help to better maintain balance. This can be important in the rehabilitation of people with imbalances. And such disorders are dangerous and very common, especially among people over 65.
Until now, three systems have been considered to be responsible for balance: visual control, the vestibular system (the part of the hearing organ, which includes the labyrinth) and the somatosensory system (special receptors located in muscles, tendons, joint capsule) along with the anti-gravity muscles. «We add the muscle of the diaphragm to this. This is the fourth element that is responsible for maintaining balance »- says Janusz Kocjan. The research of the team from the Medical University of Silesia and the Silesian University of Technology was published in “PLOS One”. The fact that the diaphragm is related to maintaining balance can be proved by showing, among others, that disturbances in the diaphragm can lead to imbalances. However, the diaphragm is not an organ that is often diagnosed with abnormalities, but it was known from previous studies that diaphragm dysfunctions appear after surgical procedures in the thoracic area, such as removal of lung tumors. «During the surgical intervention in the thoracic area, the pressure changes between the thoracic and abdominal cavities. And with this is related to the dysfunction of the diaphragm »- describes Janusz Kocjan. He adds that the diaphragm becomes less mobile and is positioned higher than it should be, while other studies have shown that balance disorders have been observed in patients after part of the lung has been excised due to cancer.
Scientists decided to investigate the relationship between these phenomena. “The starting point, however, was primarily that the diaphragm provides stabilization for the lumbar spine, where the center of gravity of the human body is conventionally located. We assumed that if we have adequate stabilization in the central part of the body, it affects the global balance and how a person maintains the vertical position of the body »- explained Dr. Kocjan. His team studied people before surgery for pulmonary parenchyma removal due to cancer and the same people after surgery. “Thanks to this, we were able to see how their balance changes when the function of their diaphragm is impaired” – says the scientist. The research was also conducted for comparison in a control group of healthy people. In total, it was over 100 people.
It turned out that after lung surgery, along with the deterioration of diaphragm function, the balance parameters deteriorated. Importantly, patients who underwent less invasive, endoscopic VATS (videothoracoscopy) had less diaphragmatic impairment, and thus better balance parameters than patients who underwent classic thoracotomy associated with a large thoracic incision.
The article describes who has better body balance parameters. “We have documented that the greater the thickness of the diaphragm at the moment of inhalation, the more it translates into better parameters of maintaining the body’s balance” – says the scientist. The research also showed that the better the diaphragm mobility with normal breathing and deep inhalation, the smaller the disturbances of the subject in a standing position. In other words, proper diaphragm function helps to maintain balance. This information is interesting because, according to epidemiological data, as much as 80 percent. people have respiratory pattern disturbances – they do not breathe properly with the diaphragm and the uppercostal track. In these people, diaphragm mobility is reduced, which in turn can lead to imbalances, researchers predict.
Dr. Kocjan explains that the disturbances observed in the study are not visible to the naked eye. However, they are noticeable in studies on the stabilographic platform used to measure individual body balance parameters. And there you can clearly see the direction of the snares (whether we put more weight on the front or back side of the body, left or right side) and how the center of gravity of the body moves within the ground (how long it has traveled and in what area it has moved).
Dr. Kocjan explains how the individual elements responsible for balance in the body work. The vestibular system in the inner ear informs the nervous system about the position of the head in space, its relation to the neck and other parts of the body. In order to keep the body in balance, information is also needed from specialized receptors (so-called proprioceptors) about the position of individual parts of the body, their movement in relation to the point of support or about their position in relation to each other. Thanks to this, when, for example, we close our eyes and raise our hand up, we are able to determine its position in relation to other parts of the body. In maintaining a bipedal posture, the postural system is also important, in the form of appropriate tension of the anti-gravity muscles. “Our research shows that the muscles responsible for balance also include the diaphragm (respiratory muscle), which is not classified as anti-gravity muscles” – adds Dr. Kocjan.
Scientists have yet to confirm how the work of the diaphragm affects balance. However, they have several hypotheses. In one of them, they suspect that there are specialized receptors of deep sensation in the diaphragm branches attached to the lumbar spine. “If we have too little pressure in the abdominal cavity, the receptors receive too little stimulation, and consequently the body balance parameters deteriorate” – said the scientist.