The Sweet-Sounding Benefits Music Has for Kids with Muscular Dystrophy

Due to the progressive weakening of the muscles that occurs in muscular dystrophy, the functional capacity of a patient's diaphragm, as well as their pulmonary function, has been found to be reduced. In fact, a lot of kids with muscular dystrophy die prematurely due to respiratory failure, a complication arising from hypoxemia as a result of hypoventilation.

A study carried out in 2014 by a group of yoga instructors and professors at the Sports Center of the University of São Paulo concluded that yoga breathing exercises, which are often aided with music, are very potent for the improvement of pulmonary function in patients with muscular dystrophy. ⁴