Pulmonary Rehabilitation

Pulmonary rehabilitation consists of a multifaceted program aimed at decreasing dyspnea and increasing the functional capacity of patients with chronic lung disease. Rehabilitation programs are individually designed for the needs of a particular patient. Components of the program typically include: aerobic exercise muscle strengthening and flexibility training of the extremities and torso breathing retraining, for example, use of pursed lips breathing to prolong the expiratory phase of respiration), and inspiratory muscle training. Pulmonary rehabilitation programs have been demonstrated to improve exercise capacity, improve quality of life, and decrease frequency of hospitalizations References 1. Ries AL, Kaplan RM, Limberg TM, Prewitt LM. Effects of pulmonary rehabilitation on physiologic and psychosocial outcomes in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Ann Intern Med 1995;122(11):823-32.