Impact of Resistance Training on FEV1 and Functional Exercise Capacity among COPD Patients: A Meta-analysis

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the third leading cause of mortality and morbidity across the Globe. A meta-analysis was conducted to determine the effectiveness of different modes of resistance training on FEV1 and functional exercise capacity among COPD patients. Data bases of Cochrane, PEDro, Embase, CINAHL, PubMed and Google Scholar were searched seeking research articles of interest. All those studies were included in which effect of resistance training was determined on FEV1 and functional exercise capacity of COPD patients and published in English language. All those studies that predated to 2011 were excluded from the review. A sample of 180 COPD patients was included in 5 RCTs. Results of the study demonstrated that resistance training has a mild pool effect in increasing FEV1 with an effect size of (SMD) of 0.160 (95% CI of -0.840 to 0.521) calculated at random effect model, I2 = 62.99% (95% CI of 0.00 to 89.42); whereas, functional exercise capacity demonstrated large pool effect size 0.886 (95% CI of 0.401 to 1.371) with I2 = 0.0 (95% CI of 0.00 to 0.00). The study concludes that there is a small to large impact of resistance exercises in improving functional exercise capacity and forced expiratory volume. Key Words: Resistance training, 6-minute walk test 6MWT, Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Functional exercise capacity, Forced expiratory volume.