Effects of Inspiratory Muscle Training using Incentive Spirometer on Aerobic Capacity, Functional Performance, and Quality of Life of Individuals with Chronic Paraplegia from Spinal Cord Injury: A Pilot Study

In spinal cord injury (SCI), partially or fully denervated inspiratory or expiratory muscles have impaired contractility and exhibit diminished exercise ventilation and ventilatory reserve. Inspiratory muscle training (IMT) using an incentive spirometer (IS) improve lung functions in individuals with chronic SCI. This study aimed to investigate the effects of IMT-using-IS on the aerobic capacity, the functional performance, and QoL individuals with chronic paraplegia. The quasi-experimental with the pre-post design conducted at Sasana Bina Daksa Budi Bhakti Pondok Bambu Jakarta in January-February 2019. The outcomes were the aerobic capacity measured with the 6-Minutes Push Test (6MPT), the functional activities daily living (ADL) performance with the Spinal Cord Independence Measure III (SCIM III), and QoL with International SCI Data Sets-Quality of Life Basic Data Set. There were 11 individuals with chronic paraplegia recruited. After the IMT-using-IS 5 times per weeks for 4 weeks, there were significant increases in the 6MPT (p=0.002), and the QoL score (p=0.004), however the SCIM scores were not significantly different (p=0.271). Individuals with chronic paraplegia, the IMT-using-IS significantly improved aerobic capacity and QoL. There was no effect on functional performance in ADL as individuals with chronic paraplegia had already reached their highest level in performing ADL.