[Harp-L] Lungs/ PT

[Eric Chard <jeric@xxxxxx>]

At 04:48 AM 3/1/2006, you wrote:
> From: "Chris Michalek" <Chris@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Breath Control is worth learning and aids
>         harpplaying
>
> I don't see it as a set back because I've turned into a groovy funky
> mofo... the point is my capacity hasn't come back or in other words
> it hasn't increased. I'm certianly not sick any more.

Have you taken any specific therapy /training to regain it?

If someone, say, injured their leg or arm we wouldn't at all be 
surprised that mobility was limited until after a course of very 
specific PT.   I think people feel somehow differently about the 
lungs and other organs, which require PT just as much as an arm, leg, 
or whatever.

According to this commercial enterprise, lung capacity can be expanded:

http://www.lungpower.com/site/1263408/page/761915

and, here's a mouthful (particularly interesting to BLUES harp 
players, because of the 'inspiratory'):
Measurement of inspiratory muscle performance with incremental 
threshold loading.
Martyn, J. B., Moreno, R. H., Par , P. D. and Pardy, R. L. Am. Rev. 
Respir. Dis 135(9):19-23, 1987

"As for other skeletal muscles, ventilatory muscle performance can be 
described in terms of strength and endurance. Ventilatory muscle 
strength is measured as the maximum inspiratory and expiratory mouth 
pressures and values for normal subjects have been published. 
Measurements of ventilatory muscle endurance are more difficult and 2 
general types of tests have been used: voluntary hyperpnoea and 
inspiratory threshold loading. Recently, Nickerson and Keens 
described a method to measure inspiratory muscle endurance involving 
the latter technique. Using a weighted inspiratory plunger they 
defined the sustainable inspiratory pressure (SIP).

Using a similar apparatus, it has been shown that breathing patterns 
may influence the measurement of ventilatory muscle endurance. The 
learning of an effective strategy to manage inspiratory pressure 
loads may influence the measurement of SIP."



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