Raw data from Cunha et al., 2025

Resistance to expiration, such as in asthma and chronic obstructive lung disease, causes abnormal lung function and intolerance to exercise. To find whether abnormal lung mechanics directly affects locomotor fatigue, we measured exercise tolerance, fatigue, and ventilation in healthy volunteers with an externally imposed expiratory resistance. We found that imposed expiratory resistance initiates a cascade of abnormal lung mechanics and symptoms, which conflate to reduce exercise tolerance through limiting maximal voluntary motor activity.