Neuromuscular electrical stimulation promotes rehabilitation in obstructive pulmonary disease / 中华物理医学与康复杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To explore the efficacy of neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) in treating severe and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).Methods Seventy-eight COPD patients were randomly divided into an NMES group of 38 and an exercise therapy group of 32.In addition to the routine drug therapy and basic rehabilitation training,the NMES group received 8 weeks of NMES of the lower limbs while the exercise group was provided with strength and endurance training of the lower limbs,also for 8 wceks.Before and after the 8 weeks of treatment,pulmonary function was tested along with isokinetic quadriceps strength,cardiopulnonary capacity,and lung capacity using Saint George's respiratory questionnaire (SGRQ).Results The two groups showed no significant difference in any of the measurements before the treatment.After the treatment,forced expiratory volume in 1 second of (FEV1),FEV1/forced vital capacity (FVC),FEVI in percentage of the predicted value,medical research council dyspnea scale (MRC) score and the 6-minute walk distance (6MWD) improved in both groups.However,the average body mass index and 6 minute walk distance differed significantly between the groups after the treatment.The quadriceps' peak torque increased after the treatment in both groups,but the average in the exercise group was significantly higher than that in the NMES group.VO2max and Wmax also increased significantly in both groups,and the average time to exhaustion increased significantly in the exercise group.Significant improvement was observed in the BODE assessment after the intervention for both groups.Conclusion Neuromuscular electrical stimulation is as effective as therapeutic exercise in promoting the rehabilitation of severe COPD patients.However,lower limbs exercise is still the first choice in managing such patients.