Assessment of respiratory functions and exercise capacity in high-resistance and low-resistance musical instruments players and healthy controls

Studies evaluating the respiratory system of musicians who play wind instruments in the literature revolve around the respiratory function test. In these studies, there was no information about respiratory muscle endurance and physical capacities of musicians. Moreover, there was no study to evaluate and classify musicians playing musical instruments in terms of their resistance to musicians. For this reason, respiratory functions, respiratory muscle strength and endurance, physical activity levels and exercise capacities evaluated by incremental shuttle walking test were investigated and compared with healthy individuals in musicians who played high resistance (HR) instrument with musicians playing low resistance (LR) instrument. Ten LR musician (ten flutes), 15 HR (two trumpets, two horns, five clarinets, three trombones, two saxophones and a tuba) musicians and 15 healthy individuals were included in the study. Respiratory function, respiratory muscle strength and endurance, physical activity levels and exercise capacities were evaluated. At the end of the evaluations, FVC (%), FEV1 (%), FEV1/FVC, FEF%25-75 and PEF (%) values of respiratory muscle strength and endurance were higher than the control group (p<0.05). There was no difference in physical activity levels and ISWT distance between HR and LR musicians and control groups (p> 0.05). FEV1/FVC and FEF%25-75 values of the HR musicians were higher than the LR musicians (p <0.05). Before&after dyspnea value of ISWT measured during ISWT was higher HR musicians than LR musicians (p <0.05). As a result, it was seen that HR musicians use small airline more actively than LR musicians. Playing the wind instrument found that it did not play a role in improving exercise capacities while improving respiratory functions.