Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) refers to a group of lung diseases including emphysema and chronic bronchitis. COPD is most often caused by long-term smoking. People with COPD often experience fatigue and reduced muscle strength. Now research reports that progressive resistance training helps people with COPD perform daily activities more easily. Progressive resistance training is a weight training method where increasingly heavy weights are lifted to build muscle and improve strength.
The review, published in the journal Chest, analyzed published studies of progressive resistance exercise for COPD patients. Researchers from Charles Sturt University in Albury, NSW, Australia, reviewed 18 controlled trials to assess the benefits and risks of weight training for COPD patients.
The researchers found moderate increases in arm and leg muscle strength after short-term progressive resistance exercise. Progressive resistance exercise promoted cycling tests and daily tasks such as stair climbing and rising from a chair. However, the design of the trials may have overestimated the benefits of exercise.
“Short-term progressive resistance exercise can lead to appreciable increases in muscle strength for people with COPD, which may carry over to the performance of some daily activities,” the study authors conclude. “Future research should place emphasis on activity and participation level outcomes, and focus on determining the longer term outcomes and optimal methods for maintaining outcomes in this population.”
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