Effect of modified Total Body Recumbent Stepper training on exercise capacity and thioredoxin in COPD: a randomized clinical trial

This study investigates whether using a modified Total Body Recumbent Stepper (TBRS) can help people with COPD improve their exercise capacity and reduce oxidative stress. Ninety stable COPD patients were randomly assigned to either a control group or a TBRS training group, with the TBRS group undergoing endurance training triweekly for 12 weeks. The study found that TBRS training increased exercise capacity, reduced dyspnea, decreased acute exacerbations and increased the expression of proteins related to antioxidant activity.

• 1
  TBRS training significantly increased the 6-min walking distance (6MWD) in COPD patients compared to both before the intervention and the control group.
• 2
  The TBRS group showed reduced scores on dyspnea assessments (mMRC and Borg scale), indicating an improvement in breathing comfort.
• 3
  TBRS training increased protein and mRNA expression levels of thioredoxin (TRX) and thioredoxin reductase (TRXR), suggesting reduced oxidative stress.