Effects of Water Immersion in Different Water Depths on Respiratory Function and Respiratory Muscle Strength among Elderly People: An Observational Study

<sec><title>Study Design</title>Retrospective cohort study.</sec><sec><title>Purpose</title>To investigate the effect of spinal correction on respiratory muscle strength in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD).</sec><sec><title>Overview of Literature</title>Several studies have reported that scoliosis correction in patients with DMD does not improve pulmonary function. In these studies, pulmonary function was evaluated using the traditional spirometric values of percent vital capacity (%VC) and percent forced vital capacity (%FVC). However, traditional spirometry may not be suitable for patients with DMD because the results can be influenced by patient fatigue or level of understanding. Therefore, we evaluated respiratory function focusing on respiratory muscle strength using maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP), maximal expiratory pressure (MEP), and sniff nasal inspiratory pressure (SNIP), in addition to %VC and %FVC.</sec><sec><title>Methods</title>We retrospectively reviewed 16 patients with DMD who underwent spinal correction surgery between 2006 and 2011 at Kitasato University Hospital. All patients were males, and the mean age was 13.5 years. Respiratory muscle strength was evaluated using MIP, MEP, and SNIP. Measurements were obtained preoperatively and at 1 and 6 months postoperatively, and %VC and %FVC were obtained preoperatively and within 6 months postoperatively.</sec><sec><title>Results</title>The mean preoperative and postoperative %VC values were 54.0% and 51.7%, whereas the mean %FVC values were 53.9% and 53.2%, respectively. The mean MIP, MEP, and SNIP values obtained preoperatively and at 1 and 6 months postoperatively were as follows: MIP, 40.5, 42.7 and 47.2 cm H2O; MEP, 26.0, 28.0, and 29.0 cm H2O; and SNIP, 33.4, 33.0, and 33.0 cm H2O; respectively. The mean MIP and MEP values significantly improved postoperatively. There were no significant differences in SNIP, %VC, or %FVC preand postoperatively.</sec><sec><title>Conclusions</title>By focusing on respiratory muscle strength, our results suggest that scoliosis correction in patients with DMD might have a favorable effect on respiratory function.</sec>

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Efficacy of chest expansion resistance exercise on respiratory function, trunk control and dynamic balance in patients with chronic stroke: A Comparative study.

Bulletin of Faculty of Physical Therapy ◽

10.1186/s43161-021-00041-z ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 26 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Shruti Prabhakaran Nair ◽

Shailesh Satyanarayana Gardas ◽

Rukaiya Mithaiwala

Keyword(s):

Muscle Strength ◽

Conventional Therapy ◽

Respiratory Function ◽

Respiratory Muscle ◽

Chronic Stroke ◽

Control Group ◽

Respiratory Muscle Strength ◽

Trunk Control ◽

Chest Expansion ◽

Experimental Group

Abstract Background Motor impairments caused by stroke result in impaired diaphragmatic and respiratory muscle function, changes in thoracic biomechanics on the hemiparetic side ultimately resulting in decreased efficiency of lung ventilation. This study aimed to examine the efficacy of chest expansion resistance exercise (CERE) on respiratory function, trunk control ability, and balance in patients with chronic stoke. Following a purposive sampling, thirty-five patients with chronic stroke were randomly allocated into two groups, i.e., the experimental group receiving CERE with conventional therapy and the control group receiving conventional therapy alone. Both the groups received therapy four times per week for a period of four weeks (total 16 sessions). Following assessments were done before and after treatment in both the groups: chest expansion ( axillary, nipple, xiphisternal levels) using measure tape, respiratory muscle strength using micro-respiratory pressure meter, trunk control using the Trunk Impairment Scale, and balance using mini-Balance Evaluation Systems Test. Results Both groups had 17 participants each (n = 34, drop-outs = 1) consisting of 12 males and 5 females having a mean age of 56.5 ± 12.98 years and 59.7 ± 10.2 years, respectively. Intra-group analysis showed a statistically significant increase in mean values of chest expansion, respiratory muscle strength, trunk control ability, and balance in the experimental group whereas the control group showed improvement only in trunk control ability and balance. Inter-group comparison revealed a better improvement in all the outcome variables in experimental group compared to the control group. Conclusions Based on these results, this study proved that CERE was more effective in improving respiratory function, trunk control, and balance in patients with chronic stroke.

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