Pulmonary Disease and Exercise

Pulmonary Disease and Exercise

Exercise may benefit pulmonary patients in a variety of ways. Pulmonary patients however face many unique challenges to exercising that other disease patients do not.

Pulmonary disease may affect the lungs and in a variety of manners. The condition includes respiratory disorders such as emphysema, chronic bronchitis and pulmonary hypertension. In the article "Comparison of Specific Expiratory, Inspiratory, and Combined Muscle Training Programs in COPD" from Chest Journal, Dr. Weiner and his colleagues explore the idea that weakness within the respiratory muscles may actually contribute to shortness of breathe, which in turn may limit the ability of patients with this disorder to exercise regularly at a significant pace (Weiner, 2003). In a second article, "Comparison of Effects of Strength Endurance Training in Patients with COPD, from the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical care, Francisco Ortega and colleagues examined the effects of different exercise modalities as therapeutic agents for patients with chronic pulmonary disease. Each article presents a unique consideration for the implications of exercise in physical therapy treatment of pulmonary disease patients, which is discussed below.

Dr. Weiner in the first article explores the idea that inspiratory muscle training may be used for patients with obstructive pulmonary disease to improve the severity of symptoms of breathlessness as well as improve exercise tolerance (Weiner, 2003). Scientists studied 32 patients with pulmonary disease. The patients were set up in groups of eight with some receiving inspiratory muscle training; some expiratory training and others were assigned to a control group. All of the patients were required to train six times a week for three months, and subsequent respiratory muscle strength and endurance were measured (Weiner, 2003).

The results indicated a significant increase in muscle strength and endurance for inhalation and exhalation for patients in the non-control groups, with the inspiratory group showing the greatest gains (Weiner, 2003).