Authors:
Raya Karaganeva
1
;
David Tomlinson
2
;
Susan Pinner
2
;
Adrian Burden
2
;
Rebecca Taylor
1
and
Keith Winwood
1
Affiliations:
1
School of Healthcare Science, Manchester Metropolitan University, All Saints Campus, Manchester and U.K.
;
2
Department of Exercise and Sports Science, Manchester Metropolitan University, Cheshire Campus, Crewe and U.K.
Keyword(s):
Custom-made Mouthguard, Boxing, Exercise Performance, Respiratory, Oxygen Uptake, Ventilation, Heart Rate, Blood Lactate.
Abstract:
Athletes, who use mouthguards (MGs) as a protective device, often experience obstruction of airflow and interferences with performance. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of three custom–made MGs (MG1, MG2, MG3), which differed in design and thickness, on respiratory flow and blood lactate during exercise. Fourteen elite male boxers (Age: 26 ± 8 yr; Mass: 80±11) performed newly developed sport specific protocol under laboratory conditions on four occasions – without a MG and with each of the three MGs. The exercise consisted of 4 boxing rounds of 3 mins, with a minute rest after each round. Breath-by-breath analysis (METALYZER® 3B, Cortex) showed that there were no differences in the uptake of oxygen (p > 0.157) between the four conditions. Likewise, the use of different MG did not affect blood lactate accumulation (p = 1.00). However, at the end of the first round the minute ventilation was higher when MG3 was used (86.2 ± 17.5 L/min) compared to MG2 (71.7 ± 13.2
) and having no MG (73.7 ± 16.4) (p = 0.002). The fact that a negative effect was not determined on physiological responses could further encourage players to use MGs during both training and competition.
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