**4. Clinical impact of pulmonary rehabilitation**

A usual pulmonary rehabilitation program can range anywhere from 6 weeks to 12 weeks at various centers which incorporate aerobic exercise, education, muscle strengthening etc. Usually patients undergo supervised training 2–3 times a week, for 30–60 minutes in each session. This could include any regimen for endurance training, interval training, resistance/strength training, walking exercises, flexibility, inspiratory muscle training and/or neuromuscular electrical stimulation. The interventions are individualized to maximize personal functional gains.

There are several benefits of PR not limited to improvement in symptoms like dyspnea, exercise tolerance and overall health status in stable patients.

### **4.1 Symptom control**

*Cardiorespiratory Fitness*

physicians to use PR more often.

**2. Definition of pulmonary rehabilitation**

tory therapist, nurses, physician and other support staff.

strong in patients with moderate to severe disease [15].

to health-enhancing behaviors [13].

**3. COPD as a systemic disease**

For several decades, treatment of COPD has been focused on smoking cessation, and pharmacological but with ever-increasing literature, intense exercise programs like pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) have become an integral part of management of COPD [8]. PR has been shown to be the most effective non-pharmacological intervention for improving health status in COPD patients and has become a standard of care for these patients [2]. PR and pharmacological therapy are not competitive but rather, must work closely together, if they are to result in a more successful outcome [9]. Despite increasing awareness on positive impact of rehabilitation in COPD, it remains underutilized in most countries. Lack of understanding on the benefits of a PR program, in addition to the incremental cost to the management, has hindered the widespread adoption of comprehensive PR for COPD patients [9]. This chapter aims at highlighting the impact of PR on patients with COPD, focusing on the clinical usefulness of PR. We also hope to stimulate primary care and pulmonary

Physical therapy has been incorporated into the treatment of pulmonary patients

Pulmonary rehabilitation has been defined as a comprehensive program which is individual patient focused and includes exercise training, education, and behavior change. It has been found to help improve the physical and psychological condition of people with chronic respiratory disease and to promote the long-term adherence

Pulmonary rehabilitation has demonstrated physiological, symptom reducing, psychosocial, and health economic benefits in multiple outcome areas for patients with chronic respiratory diseases [14]. PR is appropriate for most patients with COPD. Improved functional exercise capacity and health-related quality of life has been demonstrated across all grades of COPD severity, although the evidence is

Beside respiratory symptoms of dyspnea, COPD has been established to have extra-pulmonary manifestations. Some on them involve skeletal muscle dysfunction which results from physical inactivity and systemic inflammation in addition to hypoxemia, undernutrition, oxidative stress and systemic corticosteroid [16, 17]. Peripheral muscle dysfunction seen in COPD patients is a result of multitude of pathophysiological changes occurring in the skeletal muscles. Skeletal muscles in COPD patient have decreased oxidative capacity that can lead to early lactic

as far back as the First World War. Winifred Linton, a British nurse, first felt the need for physical therapy while treating traumatic respiratory complications during the war. Following the war, she entered physical therapy training and began to teach localized breathing exercises to other physical therapists (PTs) and surgeons at the Royal Brompton Hospital in London. A few physical therapists in the United States were instructed in airway clearance techniques and began to use and teach them to patients during the polio epidemic of the 1940s [10, 11]. Rehabilitation programs for patients with COPD have existed for more than three decades and were incorporated into ATS official statement in 1981 [12]. Comprehensive and multidisciplinary approach to the pulmonary rehabilitation programs have remained the key to its success over several years. It involves a team effort from physical therapist, respira-

**2**

PR results in reduction in symptoms of dyspnea and leg discomfort. Patients notice improved limb muscle strength and endurance. Most patients also experience improved functional capacity with more independence in activities of daily living (ADLs) [29]. In a Cochrane review [30] including 23 randomized controlled trials, PR was found to relieve dyspnea, and fatigue, improved emotional function and patient's sense of control over their condition. All these improvements were large and statistically significant.

### **4.2 Physical activity and exercise tolerance**

There has been increasing interest in physical activity, as inactivity has been linked with reduced survival, poorer quality of life and increased healthcare utilization [31]. In the same Cochrane review as above [30], patients were noted to have improved exercise capacity. Other studies from Griffith's et al. and Singh et al. have suggested similar findings [32, 33].

### **4.3 Healthcare burden**

PR has also been found to reduce unscheduled healthcare visits, COPD exacerbation and hospitalization in some literature [34]. Rubi et al. reported reduction in COPD exacerbation, hospitalization and days of hospitalization in 82 consecutive

patients [35]. In fact, there is some literature to suggest reduced hospitalization in patients participating in PR programs immediately after acute exacerbation of COPD (AECOPD) beginning within 1 week of discharge [36].
