{"id":3746,"date":"2020-06-09T11:09:24","date_gmt":"2020-06-09T16:09:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/physiodynamik.com\/?p=3746"},"modified":"2020-07-09T23:24:09","modified_gmt":"2020-07-10T04:24:09","slug":"the-diaphragm-life-and-breath","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/physiodynamik.com\/en\/the-diaphragm-life-and-breath\/","title":{"rendered":"The Diaphragm: Life and Breath"},"content":{"rendered":"

Breath \u2013 one of the first visible signs of life.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"It is said that the first breath we take is the most difficult in life. At birth, it can take a newborn up to thirty seconds to take that first breath in to fill their once fluid-filled lungs with air.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>This is done by contracting the diaphragm, a large dome-shaped muscle (looks a bit like\u00a0<\/span>an umbrella<\/span>) that sits below the lungs and separates our chest from our abdomen. This muscle is unique to mammals. It allows us to breathe and move our body at the same time.<\/span><\/p>\n

A sophisticated system<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n

The\u00a0<\/span>diaphragm<\/span><\/b>\u00a0covers a big surface within the ribcage and attaches primarily to our spine and our ribs. When we breathe in, this muscle contracts causing our belly to expand, pulling air into the lungs. This fresh air brings in oxygen to create energy in the body. To release our breath, the diaphragm slowly relaxes, allowing our belly and ribcage to fall back in as we exhale the breath out. This happens automatically and mostly without us being aware of it!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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The diaphragm is crucial for breathing; however, it is not the only breathing muscle. Any muscle that has the ability to change the volume of the rib cage is considered a breathing muscle. The diaphragm does do most of the work at rest, but we need other breathing muscles to help o<\/span>ut, especially durin<\/span>g strenuous physical activity.\u00a0 When we\u2019re working hard the muscles between the ribs (the\u00a0<\/span>intercostals<\/span><\/b>) help to lift our ribs and expand our rib cage. This draws even more air in.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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