ABSTRACT
Children with bronchial asthma, having obstructive ventilatory functions, may benefit from physical therapy besides the standard medical management they receive. Eighty-four asthmatic children were originally enrolled in this study to assess the value of such hypothesis. Children of the experimental group used bicycle ergometer. They practiced training three times/week for eight weeks. Also, they received medical management. A control group received only medical treatment. Only 31 children in both groups could be traced and analyzed to achieve the objective of the study; 20 of them from the experimental group with a mean age of 7.3 +/- 2.1 years and 11 children in the control groups with a mean age of 7 +/- 2.5 years. For both groups, initial ventilatory functions were done, as feasible, immediately after an asthmatic attack finished, then after the end of the scheduled management. The results showed a significant improvement at the end of physical therapy training program when compared with the group with no physical therapy. In spite of a follow up rate of 64.6% of the cases of asthmatic children, physical therapy training proved to be an effective as well as a safe modality, adjuvant to medical management