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Updated: Jun 24, 2026
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Home-Based Prescribed Pulmonary Exercise in Patients with Stable Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Published on: August 24, 2019
Effect of three exercise programs on patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
V Z Dourado1, S E Tanni, L C O Antunes
1Departamento de Ciências da Saúde, Laboratório de Estudos da Motricidade Humana, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Campus Baixada Santista, 11030-400 Santos, SP, Brasil. vzdourado@yahoo.com.br
Summary
Three exercise programs for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients showed similar benefits in quality of life and endurance. Combined training improved muscle strength without extending exercise duration.
Area of Science:
- Pulmonary Rehabilitation
- Exercise Physiology
- Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Management
Background:
- COPD significantly impacts patients' quality of life and physical function.
- Optimizing exercise interventions is crucial for managing COPD symptoms and improving patient outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the effects of strength training (ST), low-intensity general training (LGT), and combined training (CT) on COPD patients.
- To evaluate improvements in body composition, muscle strength, endurance, dyspnea, and quality of life after 12 weeks of exercise.
- To determine if adding strength training to general training offers additional benefits.
Main Methods:
- 12-week intervention comparing ST (50-80% 1-RM), LGT, and CT in COPD patients (N=11-13 per group).
- Assessed body composition, muscle strength (1-RM), treadmill endurance (TEnd), 6-min walk test (6MWT), Saint George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ), and baseline dyspnea (BDI).
Main Results:
- All training modalities demonstrated comparable improvements in SGRQ-total, BDI, 6MWT, and TEnd (P > 0.05).
- ST and CT groups showed significant increases in 1-RM strength compared to the LGT group (P < 0.05).
- No additional benefits in walking endurance, dyspnea, or quality of life were observed with the addition of strength training.
Conclusions:
- Combined training provides significant benefits for COPD patients without increasing training session duration.
- Strength training enhances muscle strength but does not further improve walking endurance, dyspnea, or quality of life beyond general training.
- Simple, combined exercise programs are effective for COPD management.
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