Inspiratory muscle training at chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients-a pilot study

Introduction: The efficacy of lung rehabilitation in pulmonary patients has been proven and there is increasing evidence of its use in COPD patients. During the last decade,attention has been drawn to the strengthening of inspiratory muscles, especially the diaphragmatic muscle. Several methods have been proposed to strengthenthe inspiratory muscles known as inspiratory muscle training (IMT) program. The purpose of this study was to examine its use on quality of life and exercise capacity of COPD patients. Materials and Methods: All COPD patients with age range of 30-70 years and severity 2 and 3 were included into this study. Patients with orthopedic disorders were excluded. Patients were divided into two groups: The first group included a conventional lung rehabilitation program for 5 weeks (3 sessions per week) and in the secondgroup, in addition to the conventional lung rehabilitation program, IMT was also used. Before and after of the intervention period, St. George s Quality of LifeQuestionnaire and CAT (COPD Assessment Test) questionnaire, 6-minute walk test ,Strength Index (SINDEX)were recorded and statistical analyzes wereperformed. Result: Thirty- three patients were enrolled, of which 24 completed the course (12 patients in each group).The mean age was 63 in men and 55 years in women.The comparison between the two groups showed that SINDEX and the 6-minute walk test in the second group were significantly higher than the first group. Themean St. George and CAT scores were higher in the second group comparing to the first group, but their differences were not significant. Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that adding IMT to the conventional program of the lung rehabilitation can improve the index of the inspiratory muscle strength (SINDEX) as well as the exercise capacity of the patients (6 minute walking test).

کلیدواژه ها:

CAT ، COPD ، Inspiratory Muscle Training ، SGRQ.