Chair-based versus standard home exercise programs in people with COPD: A randomized controlled trial

Chair-based exercise may represent a practical alternative for individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who experience balance limitations, fatigue, or difficulty performing standing exercises.

To compare the effects of chair-based and standard home-based exercise programmes in people with COPD.

In this randomized controlled trial, 64 clinically stable patients with COPD were allocated to a Standard Exercise Group (SGr,n = 32) or a Chair-Based Exercise Group (ChGr,n = 32). Both groups completed an 8-week home-based exercise programme (5 days/week) supported by exercise videos, two live online supervised sessions, and weekly follow-up calls; no blinding was applied. Outcomes included the 6-minute walk test (6MWT), modified Medical Research Council dyspnoea scale (mMRC), Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS), pulmonary function, maximal inspiratory and expiratory pressures (MIP/MEP), peripheral muscle strength, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form (IPAQ-SF), and Saint George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ). Adverse events were monitored.

Both groups showed significant improvements in dyspnoea, fatigue, HADS scores, total physical activity, and all SGRQ domains (p < 0.01). In the chair-based group, 6MWT distance (p = 0.003), MIP and MEP (p = 0.025 and p = 0.028), and peak expiratory flow percentage (PEF%; p = 0.044) increased significantly. Between-group differences were observed only for changes in MEP% (p = 0.032) and PEF% (p = 0.01), favouring the chair-based group. No adverse events were reported.

Both interventions improved symptoms, physical activity, and quality of life, while significant improvements in functional capacity and selected respiratory parameters were observed only in the chair-based group.