Benefits of Respiratory Muscle Training and Inspiratory Muscle Training to People Who Suffer from COPD
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is one of the most commonly encountered chronic respiratory diseases. In 2017, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Global Burden of Disease Study found that there were 251 million cases of COPD globally in 2016.
Additionally, in 2015, it was estimated that 3.17 million deaths were a result of the illness, which accounted for 5 percent of total deaths globally that year. While the most common cause of the disease is tobacco smoke, first or second-hand, it can also be caused by exposure to indoor and outdoor air pollutants, as well as occupational dust and fumes. An inherent danger of COPD is that symptoms tend to manifest late in the disease’s progression, well after substantial lung damage has already occurred. They also tend to worsen over time, at an increased rate if exposure to harmful chemicals persists.
Thankfully, there are some methods to limit the effect COPD has on the daily lives of the afflicted, such as respiratory muscle training (RMT) and inspiratory muscle training (IMT). While these are not a cure to the disease, they do help in conjunction with other practices and treatments to lessen its severity.
What are the Symptoms of COPD?
Symptoms of COPD, when they appear, can present themselves in a wide range, but the most common signs include shortness of breath (after physical activity in the early stages); wheezing; chest tightening; chronic coughing that may have associated mucus; frequent respiratory infections; lack of energy; unintended weight loss (in later stages); and swelling in the ankles, feet or legs. People may also endure episodes called exacerbations, a state where symptoms grow worse for a period of several days.
While there is no known cure for COPD, the symptoms can be managed through proper treatment, and many patients are able to maintain a decent quality of life while decreasing their chances of developing associated conditions. There are also medicines that are incredibly effective at combating the worst instances of the disease, and RMT and IMT can further assist patients in managing symptoms and maintaining individual autonomy.
Benefits of IMT and RMT for COPD Patients
People with COPD suffer from weakening inspiratory muscles, reducing breathing volume. Inspiratory/respiratory muscle training are techniques whereby a trained professional introduces a device to a patient which intentionally causes the act of breathing to be more difficult. The idea is to encourage the inspiratory muscles to work harder, strengthening them over a period of repeated exercises.
It is for this reason that these muscle trainings are used. They strengthen the lung muscles and increase the breathing volume naturally, thus improving overall breathing capabilities in a patient.
IMT and RMT on the Oxygenation Process
Another symptom of COPD is inflammation of the lungs, a condition that can dramatically impact the oxygenation process. Once the oxygenation process is tampered with; patients are likely to experience shortness of breath and other of the respiratory related symptoms listed previously.
This can also have a major impact on muscle fatigue, particularly in the limbs: “furthermore, inspiratory muscle fatigue reflexively induces sympathetically mediated vasoconstrictor activity, thereby compromising blood flow to the active limb muscles. In turn, blood flow and oxygen transport to the working muscle are reduced, thereby exacerbating limb fatigue, and compromising exercise performance.” For this reason, finding a way to improve the oxygenation process could be an important step in managing associated symptoms.
While there is still debate in the medical community as to the extent of inspiratory/respiratory muscle training’s effect on inspiratory muscle strength, it does have the potential of improving inspiratory muscle strength, dyspnea and exercise tolerance.
So, if RMT/IMT can increase inspiratory muscle strength, it should be able to increase the effectiveness of the oxygenation process, thus combating lung fatigue as well, which should result in smoother, less-stifled breathing.
However, while the full impact of IMT is still a subject requiring further study, early findings have been promising. For example, a 2018 study of 642 individuals found that dyspnea (shortness of breath) was decreased after IMT. Furthermore, the study concluded that, “IMT using threshold devices improves inspiratory muscle strength, exercise capacity and quality of life, decreases dyspnea.”
Medical Expenses of COPD
Another factor many COPD patients are impacted by is the medical expense. The WHO reports that more than 90 percent of COPD deaths occur in low and middle-income countries. The disease is also associated with the elderly, or those living in highly polluted environments — all factors that can be associated with reduced access to healthcare.
Even without these factors, many individuals still struggle with either the cost of medical care or high insurance rates. While the assistance of medical professionals should be sought in structuring a treatment regime for COPD, RMT/IMT can provide a low-cost supplementary treatment for those looking to manage the condition without unaffordable costs.
After initial treatment, RMT/IMT can become part of a patient’s daily routine. It does not require the purchase of additional medicines or costly machines; however, RMT/IMT does impair lung functions during the activity of the exercise and should only be done alone after consulting professional guidance. If symptoms worsen, IMT should be stopped, and a doctor should be consulted.
Overall, inspiratory/respiratory muscle training offers an opportunity for an additional, proactive treatment in an individual’s management of COPD symptoms. While traditional treatment regimens should always be followed under the guidance of trained medical professionals, RMT/IMT can provide a supplemental treatment option for those patients wanting to explore additional methods of symptom management without having to spend large sums of money.
Through professional guidance and a daily training structure, patients can increase inspiratory muscle strength, a factor which may assist in increasing breathing volumes, enhancing oxygenation, and reducing muscle fatigue. Of course, RMT/IMT cannot mitigate any environmental factors which may have caused COPD in the first place.
When following this technique, or any treatment regime, patients are encouraged to quit smoking and to remove themselves from environments which may expose them to toxic chemicals in significant quantities. COPD cannot be cured but taking proactive steps to reduce its root causes can be one of the greatest aids to any course of treatment.
2 “Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).” World Health Organization, World Health Organization.
3 Ibid.
5 Gosselink, R., et al. “Impact of Inspiratory Muscle Training in Patients with COPD: What Is the Evidence?” European Respiratory Society, European Respiratory Society, 1 Feb. 2011.
6 Goldstein, R.S. “Exercise training and inspiratory muscle training in patients with bronchiectasis.” Thorax, British Thoracic Society, April 2005.
7 G, Beaumont, M. Forget P. Couturaud F. Reychler. “Effects of Inspiratory Muscle Training in COPD Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” The Clinical Respiratory Journal, U.S. National Library of Medicine.
8 “Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).” World Health Organization, World Health Organization.