| Restriction
of expansion of the lungs or chest wall impedes inflation of the lungs
during inhalation. Functional changes occurring during such restriction
include reduced pulmonary and/or chest wall compliance, decreases
in pulmonary function, and ultimately a decrease in exercise performance.
Such restriction can be seen in several pathologic conditions such
as scoliosis or obesity, as well as occupational situations such as
the wearing of bullet-proof vests. This study investigated the hypothesis
that tightened football shoulder pads produce decrements in pulmonary
function similar to those shown in previous studies involving other
external chest-wall restricting devices. In this study, 24 subjects,
all members of a collegiate division IAA football team and used to
wearing the pads, performed standard pulmonary function tests while
wearing no pads (control, CTRL), wearing pads that were not secured
(pads loose, PL) and while wearing pads secured "game-tight"
(pads tight, PT). The data showed that both forced vital capacity
(FVC) and forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1.0)
were significantly decreased in the PT condition compared to either
the CTRL or PL condition, with no changes in the FEV1.0/FVC
ratio or peak expiratory flow rate. These results are consistent with
a restrictive condition and support our hypothesis that tightened
shoulder pads reduce pulmonary function. Further studies remain to
be performed to determine whether these changes lead to decreased
exercise performance and whether equipment modifications can be made
to limit alterations in pulmonary function without decreasing the
protective value of the pads.
KEY
WORDS: Lung function, protective clothing, breathing capacity.
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