Dose-dependent effect of individualized respiratory muscle training in children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of low intensity, home inspiratory muscle training on respiratory muscle endurance in children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, using a double-blind protocol. The originality aspect of this study is the use of a reproducible method of endurance and of the same method for evaluation and training. We studied eight trained children (mean age 14.7+/-4.5 years) and eight control children (mean age, 12.6+/-1.8 years). For 6 weeks, children breathed twice a day for 10 min through a valve with either 30% (training group) or less than 5% (control group) of their maximum inspiratory pressure (P(imax)). The results showed (1) a 46% improvement in the time limit after training in the training group and no change in the control group and (2) a significant correlation between the total time of respiratory muscle training and the percentage of endurance improvement in the training group. We conclude that specific training improves respiratory muscle endurance in Duchenne muscular dystrophy and the effectiveness of training appears to be dependent on the quantity of training.