Balance training: its influence on pulmonary rehabilitation

• Published in: Bulletin of Faculty of Physical Therapy (Online) Vol. 24; no. 1; pp. 8 - 13
• Main Authors: Mounir, Khaled M., Elserty, Noha S., Obaya, Hany E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.06.2019
• Subjects: Medicine & Public Health; Original Article; Orthopedics; balance training; pulmonary rehabilitation; fall risk; chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
• ISSN: 1110-6611; 2536-9660
• DOI: 10.4103/bfpt.bfpt_14_18

Background Balance disorders are one of the most important complications for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Objective To investigate the effect of adding balance training to pulmonary rehabilitation program in improving balance in patients with COPD. Patients and methods A total of 48 male patients diagnosed as having COPD were selected from the outpatient clinic of Wadi El-Neel Hospital, Cairo, and their ages ranged from 60 to 65 years. Patients were assigned randomly into two equal groups. The study group received balance training with pulmonary rehabilitation program, and the control group received pulmonary rehabilitation program only. Exercise training was performed for both groups three times a week for 8 weeks. Balance assessment was performed by Berg Balance Scale, Balance Evaluation Systems Test, and 6-min walking test before and after training. Results The 2×2 mixed-model analysis of variance analysis demonstrated significant increase in the Berg Balance Scale and Balance Evaluation Systems Test after treatment in both groups, with a percentage of improvement in control group was 5.01 and 9.15%, respectively, whereas in the study group was 16.04 and 25.46%, respectively. However, the study group showed significant improvement than the control group after treatment in both tests. Regarding 6-min walking test, both groups showed significant increase after treatment, with a similar percentage of improvement in the control group (23.95%) and the study group (24.93%). There was no significant difference between the control and the study group after treatment. Conclusion Addition of balance training to pulmonary rehabilitation program was more effective in improving balance in elderly patients with COPD.