POWERbreathe - Healthcare Professionals
Weakness of the inspiratory muscles can result from a number of causes, including disease. In the case of inspiratory muscles, weakness is a major contributor to the perception of dyspnoea.1,2
The inspiratory muscles exhibit the well documented ‘use it or lose it’ phenomenon and become detrained (atrophy) in the absence of physical activity. This leads to a downward spiral of inactivity and dyspnoea that is observed in many chronic conditions, as well as in the elderly.
In addition, the use of oral steroid medication (not inhaled steroids) to control lung inflammation in conditions such as asthma and emphysema has been shown to cause weakness of the inspiratory muscles. This weakness can impair lung function and can be counteracted by inspiratory muscle training. (N.B. inhaled steroids do not cause inspiratory muscle weakness.)
The good news is that the inspiratory muscles can be trained, yielding:
POWERbreathe Medic inspiratory muscle training can be implemented as either a standalone intervention, or as part of a rehabilitation programme.
The inspiratory muscles exhibit the well documented ‘use it or lose it’ phenomenon and become detrained (atrophy) in the absence of physical activity. This leads to a downward spiral of inactivity and dyspnoea that is observed in many chronic conditions, as well as in the elderly.
In addition, the use of oral steroid medication (not inhaled steroids) to control lung inflammation in conditions such as asthma and emphysema has been shown to cause weakness of the inspiratory muscles. This weakness can impair lung function and can be counteracted by inspiratory muscle training. (N.B. inhaled steroids do not cause inspiratory muscle weakness.)
The good news is that the inspiratory muscles can be trained, yielding:
- Improvements in inspiratory muscle strength, power and endurance
- Structural and biomechanical adaptations.
- More importantly, inspiratory muscle training (IMT) reduces dyspnoea during exercise and daily activities, as well as improving exercise tolerance and quality of life, particularly in patients with COPD.
POWERbreathe Medic inspiratory muscle training can be implemented as either a standalone intervention, or as part of a rehabilitation programme.
