Effects of strength training in patients with COPD: a systematic review.

Introduction: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a heterogeneous lung condition characterized by chronic respiratory symptoms causing persistent, often progressive airflow obstruction. Strength training is a therapeutic option to prevent and/or reverse muscle dysfunction in COPD patients. Objective: to analyze the literature on the effects of strength training in COPD patients.

Methods: A systematic review from the last ten years was conducted in August 2024 across PubMed, Scopus, WOS, Medline and CINAHL databases. The search included studies examining resistance training for upper and lower limbs. Methodological quality was analyzed using the PEDro scale and the RoB2 was used for risk of bias.

Results: Six randomized controlled trials were eligible for inclusion, obtaining an excellent or good methodological quality. Most repeated variables were exercise capacity, quality of life and muscle strength, finding statistically significant positive results in all of them.

Conclusions: Strength training appears to be safe and effective for COPD treatment, with improvements in exercise capacity, activities of daily living, muscle strength, lung function, quality of life and inflammatory levels. However, scientific evidence on this topic is scarce, and future high-quality, long-term studies are necessary to establish standardized protocols and assess the sustained benefits of strength training in COPD patients.Protocol registration: Identifier is CRD42024572717.