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Medical Forum / Diseases and Disorders / Asthma / December 2004Playing a wind instrument for improved breathing?
I've heard several stories of woodwind players swimming to improve their breathing, the theory being that more practice at breathing under stress, breath holding, etc., helps strengthen the muscles involved. Is there any evidence (or just what do you all think) about playing a wind instrument or swimming as a way of improving breathing for asthmatics? I started playing the french horn a few months ago and feel it has helped my breathing. Starting playing the horn coincided with weaning myself from inhaled steroids and bronchodilators and I'm now a merry, albeit terrible, horn player who no longer uses Advair. (I should add that I'm a regular, although not high-distance, lap swimmer, too.) My feeling is that what I'm doing certainly won't hurt, even if there's no proving that it will help. -S- > I've heard several stories of woodwind players swimming to improve their > breathing, the theory being that more practice at breathing under [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > > -S- I am a semi-pro trumpet player with asthma and I don't find any benefit or non-benefit from playing the horn although I played trumpet long before I played inhalers. A friend of mine is a world class trumpet player with a real serious, barely in control asthma and she finds nothing beneficial or non-beneficial about playing. That being said, it doesn't make a lot of sense to extrapolate from my experience to yours. If it works for you, keep doing it. Even if it doesn't and you enjoy the horn, keep playing > I've heard several stories of woodwind players swimming to improve their > breathing, the theory being that more practice at breathing under [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > > -S- I am a semi-pro trumpet player with asthma and I don't find any benefit or non-benefit from playing the horn although I played trumpet long before I played inhalers. A friend of mine is a world class trumpet player with a real serious, barely in control asthma and she finds nothing beneficial or non-beneficial about playing. That being said, it doesn't make a lot of sense to extrapolate from my experience to yours. If it works for you, keep doing it. Even if it doesn't and you enjoy the horn, keep playing > I've heard several stories of woodwind players swimming to improve their > breathing, the theory being that more practice at breathing under [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > > -S- I am a semi-pro trumpet player with asthma and I don't find any benefit or non-benefit from playing the horn although I played trumpet long before I played inhalers. A friend of mine is a world class trumpet player with a real serious, barely in control asthma and she finds nothing beneficial or non-beneficial about playing. That being said, it doesn't make a lot of sense to extrapolate from my experience to yours. If it works for you, keep doing it. Even if it doesn't and you enjoy the horn, keep playing For emphysema any high pressure wind instrument is a no-no. Where did I find that out? Maybe someone can help me on that. The oboe would be the worst, but way up there in the high pressure choir would be the trumpet and cornet, which I mistakenly went back to practicing on shortly before my emphysema reared its ugly head ten or eleven years ago. On the other hand Jerry, if you don't have emphysema the french horn will surely make you more aware of your breath. Just go easy. I guess you know "easy does it" will make you a better horn player as well.---Jack > For emphysema any high pressure wind instrument is a no-no. Where did I > find that out? Maybe someone can help me on that. [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > you know "easy does it" will make you a better horn player as > well.---Jack I am not sure about high blood pressure. I have that and have never been told not to play trumpet because of it. I can't speak to emphysema. I have a friend, 1st rank pro in his time, who has teamed up with medical Drs to study the effects of glaucoma and he has to be careful in the extreme high ranges of the instrument -- above high G but no problem in the normal range. I guess if you have questions you should check with a Dr but, as with running and weight lifting questions check with a Dr that is knowledgeable about horn playing |
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