Short-term effects of respiratory muscle training combined with the abdominal drawing-in maneuver on the decreased pulmonary function of individuals with chronic spinal cord injury: A pilot randomized controlled trial

This study explores whether combining respiratory muscle training (RMT) with the abdominal drawing-in maneuver (ADIM) improves breathing in people with long-term spinal cord injuries. Participants were divided into three groups: one received both RMT and ADIM (ITG), another received only RMT (RMTG), and the third received standard care (CG). The ITG group used an incentive spirometer and stabilizer, while the RMTG group used only the incentive spirometer. The study found that combining RMT and ADIM led to significant improvements in lung function, suggesting this combined approach could be beneficial for pulmonary rehabilitation in individuals with SCI.

• 1
  The integrated training group (ITG) showed significantly greater improvements in forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) compared to the respiratory muscle training group (RMTG) and the control group (CG).
• 2
  Following the 8-week intervention, the change ratio values of FVC and FEV1 in the ITG increased by an average of 9.75% and 7.91%, respectively, compared to the RMTG.
• 3
  RMT combined with ADIM increases abdominal pressure from the abdominal muscles, thus improving pulmonary function as seen by FVC and FEV1.