Immediate effect of chest expansion after exercise in women wearing tight-shirt

Abstract

Introduction: Tight-shirt is a popular fashion among teenagers. It is not uncertain that wearing tight-shirtmay affect their health. There is still no evidence about respiration and chest expansion problemsfrom tight-shirt wearing.

Objective: To study immediate effects of tight-shirt wearing on chest expansion in healthy women.

Methods: 30 women who wore loose-shirt or tight-shirt were recruited. They exercised by cycling for15 minutes. Chest expansion; axilla, xiphoid process and 10^th costal cartilage were measuredbefore and after exercises, and data will be analyzed by using Paired-Samples Test.

Result: Chest expansion before exercise during wearing loose-shirt at axilla, xiphoid process and 10^th costal cartilage were 7.08 ± 1.71, 6.52 ± 1.88, and 6.66 ± 2.05 cm., and after exercise were 6.99± 1.54, 6.49 ± 1.50, and 6.49 ± 1.89 cm. Whereas, during wearing tight-shirt before exercise were6.56 ± 1.53, 6.28 ± 1.67, and 6.33 ± 2.07 cm. and after exercise were 6.61 ± 1.54, 6.22 ±1.59, and 6.22 ± 2.03 cm. When comparing chest expansion in loose-shirt and tight-shirt beforeor after exercise, there was statistically significant differences at axilla level (p ≤ 0.05). Thedifference of axilla chest expansion before exercise was 0.52 ± 1.36 cm. and after exercisewas 0.37 ± 0.97 cm. But there were no differences of chest expansion in other levels.

Discussion: These results suggest that the decrease of upper chest expansion may be due to the restrictionof tight-shirt. Anyway, this study showed only short-term effect of tight-shirt on respiratorysystem, and can not explain the long-term effect of tight-shirt which need further investigation.

Key words: chest expansion, tight-shirt, exercise, pulmonary ventilation, respiration