As discussed in part 1, the brain’s biggest priority is to keep you alive. Breathing is the fundamental task the brain and body needs to coordinate to ensure basic human function and movement can be achieved; a task that is both volitional and automatic. Mammals in particular display a distinct feature called the diaphragm, otherwise known as ‘the breathing muscle’. At rest, the diaphragm performs the active component of the breath – inspiration – creating a doming effect and expanding the rib cage, allowing air to rush in from the environment (interestingly, the active component of reptilian breathing is expiration, due to their lack of a diaphragm!). With the diaphragm working constantly to keep you alive, you can see how crucial it is in one’s life to understand this phenomenal process – in athletes and the general population alike.

Compensation happens when there is a pain signal sent up to the brain, which can lead to muscle imbalance and movement inefficiency. Like all movements, the act of breathing is also subject to the effects of compensation. For example, do you experience chronic neck and shoulder tension and no matter how much you stretch, it persists? One form of compensation that can occur in a breathing pattern is the use of accessory muscles to help contribute to the role of the diaphragm. In such a case the muscles in the neck, pecs, and upper back play a bigger role than they normally would to assist in your breathing. On average a person breathes 22,000 times per day. You can see how breathing with this compensatory strategy can lead to unwanted tension. With this movement inefficiency, the nervous system is also more likely to be operating at an elevated level and will therefore continue to feed pain signals to the brain. By accessing more of the diaphragm and thus the parasympathetic nervous system, we can improve treatments, particularly for those suffering from chronic pain. Understanding and bringing awareness to this movement compensation is the first step in breaking compensation patterns.

On a more mechanical level, inefficient breathing can also impede other functions. Active expiration (think of when you are exercising) involves muscles of the abdominals and in between ribs. If there is poor engagement of the intercostal muscles, rib positions can look flared up and out, rather than “hugged” in, therefore destabilizing the trunk. In this position, breathing will more likely look like an elevation of the rib cage rather than an expansion, a necessary movement to fully utilize the diaphragm. As there are fascial connections from the ribs to the pelvis, this can negatively effect stability and function of the lower limbs as well. The Prague School of Rehabilitation also discusses something similar called Dynamic Neuromuscular Stability, and it all starts at the diaphragm. Ultimately, we want to teach the body to stabilize centrally in the intended areas, rather than continuously feeding into compensatory loops caused by pain signals.

See if you can try this exercise, a task taken from my mentor, Dr. Jeff Almon, creator of the Ground Control program for neurological reprogramming of chronic pain.

DSSS (Deep Spinal Stabilization System) Breathing

– Lie down on your back with knees bent. Place hands on top of hip bone.

– Cough or sniff to feel your trunk engage (he calls this step pressurizing the cylinder). Hold this contraction and breath through it! Think expansion of the ribs and try to feel the sensation of the breath end at your mid-back

– Perform for 10 minutes, progress to 20 minutes. Make sure everything else in the body is relaxed (take note of neck, shoulders, and glutes)

Challenging right? It takes time to reprogram what your body has grown accustomed to, for example stabilizing via muscular compensation. It takes a great deal of focus, motivation, and mass practice – the primary teachings of this program.

As you can see, breathing, not just the act of but also thinking quality and direction, truly is the central aspect of the human body. It does not simply drive gas exchange, but also serves as the root of trunk stability and plays a big role in the nervous system. In addition, studies have also shown proper breathing to improve learning and memory (particularly with nasal breathing), and alertness and reaction time. If you have seen me for treatment in the past, you probably heard me say that inefficient breathing is basically the ultimate compensation. Whether you are a high-level athlete looking to optimize physiology or someone going through rehab from an injury, breathing is a fundamental aspect of human physiology. Curious? Let’s chat 🙂

References:

1. Almon, J. Ground Control.

2. Feldman, J. Breathing for Mental and Physical Health and Performance. The Huberman Lab Podcast (2022)

3. Grey, D. Lower Body Basics

4. Huberman, A. The Huberman Lab Podcast (2022)

5. Kolar, P. Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization. Prague School of Rehabilitation

6. Notter, R. Lung Surfactants: Basic Science and Clinical Applications (2000)