Effectiveness of respiratory muscle training along with aerobic training in community dwelling elderly individuals

Background: Aging is associated with decline in performance of various systems resulting in reduced exercise capacity, fatigue and reduced respiratory muscle functioning. Studies reported that respiratory muscle training is effective to increase respiratory muscle functioning in various populations but the reports are limited in community dwelling elderly population. Materials and methods: Thirty community dwelling elderly individuals fulfilling the eligibility criteria participated in a randomized controlled trial for four weeks of duration. They were assigned to Group A receiving respiratory muscle training along with aerobic training and Group B receiving only aerobic training. The outcome measures assessed were maximum voluntary ventilation, fatigue severity scale and 6 minute walk test distance; before and after four weeks of intervention. Results: Statistically significant improvement was seen in maximum voluntary ventilation, fatigue severity scale and 6 minute walk test distance with p<0.0001 in both the groups. Intergroup comparison showed greater improvement in the group A which received respiratory muscle training along with aerobic training. Conclusion: Respiratory muscle training along with aerobic training was more effective than aerobic training alone in improving respiratory muscle function, fatigue and exercise capacity in community dwelling elderly individuals after four weeks of intervention.