AN INVESTIGATION OF RESPIRATORY RESISTANCE DURING RESTING BREATHING IN TEENAGE FEMALE ATHLETES WITH AND WITHOUT PARADOXICAL VOCAL FOLD MOTION DISORDER

Abstract

Paradoxical vocal fold motion disorder (PVFMD) is a laryngeal disorder that is typically triggered by vigorous exercise and primarily affects female athletes in their teenage years. Previous research demonstrated that measures of inspiratory (Ri) and expiratory (Re) resistance reflect laryngeal constriction associated with PFVMD following exercise, but that baseline differences between PVFMD and normal function may also exist. This study explored Ri and Re as measured by an Airflow Perturbation Device (APD) during resting tidal breathing (RTB) in 16 teenage female athletes with PVFMD and 16 healthy matched controls; half were 12-15 and half were 16-18 years old. Ri and Re during RTB did not differ significantly between experimental and control groups nor between younger and older age groups. These findings failed to replicate previous findings of baseline differences between groups and across age, although trends in the data suggest that sampling error may account for the difference in results.