What it Pulmonary Rehabilitation?
In general, pulmonary rehabilitation refers to a series of services that are administered to patients of respiratory disease and their families, typically to attempt to improve the quality of life for the patient.
As per ATS and ERS, it is an evidence-based, multidisciplinary, and comprehensive intervention for patients with chronic respiratory diseases who are symptomatic and often have decreased daily life activities.
What are the aims for Pulmonary Rehabilitation?
- Improve symptoms
- Understand the disease and its effects on activity
- Improve quality of life of the patient
- Reduce breathlessness
- Reduce hospital admission and/or stay
- Reduce anxiety and mental disturbances occurring due to Pulmonary Disease
- Increase exercise (cardio-pulmonary fitness and muscular strength) tolerance and improve patient's participation in society
What are the effects of respiratory diseases?
- Ventilatory Limitations
- Increased dead space ventilation
- Impaired gas exchange
- Increased ventilatory demands due to peripheral muscle dysfunction
- Gas Exchange Limitations
- Reduced inspiratory muscle efficiency
- Impaired Cardiac Efficiency
- Load over heart increases due to increase peripheral vascular resistance
- Skeletal Muscle Dysfunction
- Decreases peripheral muscular strength
- Decrease Peripheral muscular endurance
- Increases the proportion of Type II muscle fibres as compare to same age group
- Due to weak muscle strength, it puts more stress on cardio-respiratory systems which leads to further breathlessness.
What exercises are involved in Pulmonary Rehabilitation?
- Aerobic exercises which improves cardio-pulmonary fitness
- Strength exercises which improves muscular strength and endurance
- Postural muscles exercises which improves posture
- Breathing exercises which corrects breathing and reduces accessory muscle usage
- Postural Drainage to clear thick sputum from lungs
Who all should undergo Pulmonary Rehabilitation?
- COPD
- Asthma
- Cystic Fibrosis
- Interstitial Lung Disease
- Sarcoidosis
- Pre and post respiratory surgeries
- Bronchiectasis
- Lung Resection
- Post infective lung disease (TB, Fungal Infection etc.)
Guidelines given for Pulmonary Rehabilitation (for further details please click on following link)
For further details please contact;
Dr. Nilesh Makwana PT.
@ nileshphysiotherapist@gmail.com
@ 9222021533
