A comparison of the cervical spine during active rotation in front crawl swimmers who breathe unilaterally verses swimmers who breathe bilaterally'
Item
- Title
- A comparison of the cervical spine during active rotation in front crawl swimmers who breathe unilaterally verses swimmers who breathe bilaterally'
- Author(s)
- Clark, S
- Abstract
- Background: Swimming is a highly popular sport and recreational exercise that has its many health and fitness benefits. Front crawl is the most popular choice of stroke out of all four strokes and involves a rhythmic breathing pattern unique to the individual. There are two forms of breathing patterns people will adopt when performing front crawl; unilateral (breathing to one side) and bilateral (alternating breathing sides). Active rotation of the cervical spine is needed in order for the swimmer to breathe. bjective: The objective of this proposed study is to answer the question; 'ls there a difference in the cervical spine during active rotation in front crawl swimmers who breathe unilaterally verses swimmers who breathe bilaterally?' Design: A quantitative data collection study. Methods: There are 30 participants that took part in this study, 11 bilateral breathers and 19 unilateral breathers. Participants were initially sent an information sheet explaining the project and on the day of data collection a short questionnaire was given to participants in order to gain some broad information regarding the participants age, how often they swim and their breathing pattern. The inclusion criteria for this study was participants over the age of 18 and participate in swimming more than twice per week. Exclusion criteria were participants under the age of 18 and suffering with any cervical spine pathologies. A CROM devise was used to gain cervical spine active rotation readings and recorded on a spread sheet. Three measurements were taken per participant (left and right rotation) in order to gain an average reading to avoid any anomalous data. Results: The results of the study were analysed by using StatPlus. Statistical analysis of the results showed no significant difference between the total ranges of cervical rotation in bilateral or unilateral breathers. On individual basis there is a difference in bilateral and unilateral breathing, however to what extent the extent is unclear. Discussion: Results from the study were mixed and overall reject the null hypothesis mainly due to the small sample size. There is evidence to suggest that there is a difference in cervical ROM between unilateral and bilateral breathing in front crawl, however further investigation and incorporation of different variables are needed in order to make the study more. Conclusion: Although some positive results have been shown, a larger study with more participants should be done in order to validate the link between cervical ROM and swimming patterns, which in turn could have positive affects on the health care system. A new research area has potentially been created for health care professionals and swimming, not just in regards to treatment but potential for advice that can help patients return to normality and improve on their swimming form.
- presented at
- European School of Osteopathy
- Date Accepted
- 2018
- Date Submitted
- 25.1.2019 17:18:24
- Type
- osteo_thesis
- Language
- English
- Submitted by:
- 62
- Pub-Identifier
- 16389
- Inst-Identifier
- 1229
- Keywords
- Unilateral
- Recommended
- 0
- Medium
- Asymmetry
- Item sets
- Thesis
Clark, S, “A comparison of the cervical spine during active rotation in front crawl swimmers who breathe unilaterally verses swimmers who breathe bilaterally'”, Osteopathic Research Web, accessed April 28, 2024, https://www.osteopathic-research.com/s/orw/item/217