Meta- analysis revealed few clinical ly relevant and statistically significant benefits of " add-on " therapies on exercise performance compared with exercise training .
The aim of this review was to identify the effectiveness of therapies added on to conventional exercise training to maximise exercise capacity in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease ( COPD ) .
Does unsupported upper limb exercise training improve symptoms and quality of life for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease?
PURPOSE Many patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease ( COPD ) report dyspnea and fatigue when performing upper limb activities . Unsupported upper limb training has been shown to improve upper limb endurance , but its effects on symptoms and quality of life have not been examined . The aim of this study was to compare the effects of upper limb and lower limb training with lower limb training alone on exercise capacity , symptoms , and quality of life with COPD . METHODS For this study , 38 patients with moderate to severe COPD were r and omly allocated to unsupported upper limb endurance training or to a control group that completed a sham training task . All the patients underwent lower limb endurance training . The 6-minute walk test , the Incremental Unsupported Upper Limb Exercise Test , and the Chronic Respiratory Disease Question naire ( CRQ ) were completed before training and then 6 weeks afterward . Both patients and assessors were blinded to group allocation . RESULTS All the patients reported symptoms associated with upper limb activities on the initial CRQ . Both groups showed significant improvements in all domains of the CRQ and in the 6-minute walk test after training . Only the upper limb training group showed improvement in upper limb endurance time ( 57 + /- 75 vs 2 + /- 58 seconds ; P = .02 ) . There were no significant differences between the groups for 6-minute walk test or any domain of the CRQ . CONCLUSIONS Unsupported upper limb training for patients COPD improves upper limb exercise capacity , but has no additional effect on symptoms or quality of life , as compared with leg training alone . This type of upper limb training may not adequately address the complex interaction between respiratory mechanics and upper limb function
Meta- analysis revealed few clinical ly relevant and statistically significant benefits of " add-on " therapies on exercise performance compared with exercise training .
The aim of this review was to identify the effectiveness of therapies added on to conventional exercise training to maximise exercise capacity in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease ( COPD ) .