BACKGROUND: Exercise for people with COPD has focused on leg training, such as walking and cycling. The role and effectiveness of arm training has not been investigated in detail. This review was undertaken to examine the literature for the effectiveness of upper extremity exercise on arm exercise capacity and arm strength in people with COPD.
METHODS: Trials relating to arm endurance and strength training in COPD were located by searching electronic databases and screening the reference lists of pertinent articles. Where possible, effect sizes and 95% CI were determined and meta-analysis used.
RESULTS: The search strategy yielded 24 articles. Unsupported arm training improved arm endurance capacity (standard mean difference [SMD] =1.25; 95% CI=0.16 to 2.66) and was the optimal mode of arm endurance training. Combined unsupported and supported arm training was also found to have a large positive effect on peak arm exercise capacity (SMD=1.27; 95% CI=0.59 to 1.94). In addition arm strength training produced moderate improvements in arm strength (SMD=0.46; 95% CI=0.10 to 0.81).
CONCLUSION: This review suggests that in the short term, arm endurance training improves arm exercise capacity and arm strength training improves arm strength. Further research is required, in people with COPD, to investigate the long-term effects of arm training.
KEYWORDS: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; upper extremity exercise
Hospice care is about quality of life at a time when a person has an illness for which curative measures are no longer possible, and for which a physician has determined the patient has a life expectancy of about six months or less, a hospice program can support the process of death and dying in a compassionate way. A growing trend is to utilize physical therapy more frequently in hospice. Physical therapy has several vital roles in hospice care as follows: maximizing functional ability and comfort to enhance quality of life; assuring patient and care giver safety; helping people redesign their lives and life goals; providing support around physical, emotional and spiritual issues at the end of life. The purpose of this review is to provide 1) a description of hospice care, 2) an explanation of the roles of physical therapists in hospice care.
Dyspnea is a common and distressing symptom experienced by 19%-51% of patients with advanced cancer. Higher incidences are reported in patients approaching end of life. While the prevalence of dyspnea has been reported to be as frequent as pain in people with lung cancer, less attention has been paid to the distress associated with dyspnea. This review of the literature was undertaken to investigate how dyspnea has been assessed and whether breathlessness in people with lung cancer is distressing. Using a predetermined search strategy and inclusion criteria, 31 primary studies were identified and included in this review. Different outcome measures were used to assess the experience of dyspnea, with domains including intensity, distress, quality of life, qualitative sensation, and prevalence. Overall, the studies report a high prevalence of dyspnea in lung cancer patients, with subjects experiencing a moderate level of dyspnea intensity and interference with activities of daily living. Distress associated with breathing appears to be variable, with some studies reporting dyspnea to be the most distressing sensation, and others reporting lower levels of distress. However, taking into account the prevalence, intensity, and distress of dyspnea, the general consensus appears to be that the experience of dyspnea in people with lung cancer is common, with varying degrees of intensity, but involves considerable unpleasantness. Thus, if dyspnea and pain are both distressing sensations for people with lung cancer, this has potential implications for both clinical and academic areas with regards to both management strategies and further research.