High-intensity Resistance Training in Post-exacerbation COPD

Summary

After a COPD exacerbation, many individuals experience severe weakness in the leg muscles, especially the quadriceps. This weakness can make daily activities difficult and slow down recovery. Traditional respiratory rehabilitation usually focuses on endurance training, which is effective but often hard to tolerate soon after an exacerbation due to persistent symptoms and limited functional capacity. This study aims to compare two early rehabilitation approaches during recovery from a COPD exacerbation: a maximal strength training (MST) programme using high loads and few repetitions, and a traditional endurance-based training programme. The investigators aim to determine whether MST is easier to tolerate, especially in terms of breathlessness, and whether MST can improve muscle strength, efficiency, and overall exercise tolerance as well as or better than endurance training. The results will help identify the most suitable rehabilitation strategy for individuals recovering from a COPD exacerbation, particularly for those who struggle with high-intensity endurance exercise.

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

* COPD diagnosis according to the GOLD guidelines \[11\] with FEV1/FVC \<70%
* Stable clinical condition (pH\>7.30) \[11\]
* Hospital discharge within 3 weeks from an event of hospitalization due to an acute exacerbation of COPD.
* Absence of significant motor disability, described by the possibility of performing the 6MWT.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Presence of lung diseases other than COPD
* Orthopedic and neurological conditions that prevent the execution of functional tests
* Severe neurological and cardiologic comorbidities or other severe diseases compromise exercise tolerance.
* Cognitive impairment evaluated by Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score as \< 25.

Conditions2

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