• Question: what exaclty happens when you get "winded" ?

    Asked by tonje to Amy, Drew, Julia, Kimberley, Sara on 22 Jun 2011.
    • Photo: Drew Rae

      Drew Rae answered on 21 Jun 2011:

      Ooh. Good question., You breath mainly using a muscle called your diaphram, which is just below your lungs. You can feel it go down when you breath in and up with you breath out. If you get hit in that area, the muscles get hurt, and may even start spasming a bit – in any case, they aren’t very effective for a little while so it is hard to breath without concentrating on it.

    • Photo: Amy MacQueen

      Amy MacQueen answered on 21 Jun 2011:

      Hi tonje!

      You mean when you get “a blunt trauma to the solar plexus”??!!! (that’s the official term!) Here’s a nice simple diagram and explanation!
      http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/health_and_fitness/4275414.stm

    • Photo: Julia Griffen

      Julia Griffen answered on 21 Jun 2011:

      I like Amy’s answer… these guys got here 1st!

    • Photo: Sara Imari Walker

      Sara Imari Walker answered on 22 Jun 2011:

      Hello tonje! Drew and Amy have covered blunt trama. I’ve also heard being “winded” refer to when you are out of breath from exercise. As Drew said, our diaphragm controls our breathing: during inhalation, the diaphragm contracts, thus enlarging our chest drawing air into our lungs; during exhalation it expands, pushing the air out. The diaphragm is a muscle, and just like any other muscle it can get over worked and tired. So sometimes when we work out and over exert ourselves, this muscle gets tired, making us feel out of breath because it is too tired to do its job well. Its best to pace yourself when you exercise!! I know I’ve learned this the hard way more than once 😉 I hate getting winded!!

Comments