Effects of Whole Body Vibration Exercise on the Pulmonary Function, Gait Ability and Quality of Life of Patients with Severe Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Abstract

This study aimed to provide supporting data for the clinical use of breathing exercise with a WBV stimulation as a sustained and safe intervention program, by examining the effect of breathing exercise with WBV stimulation on the pulmonary function, gait ability, and life quality in patients with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), who have difficulty performing exercise.METHODS: For this study, after collecting the samples from 20 patients with severe COPD, they were placed randomly in an experimental group to perform breathing exercises with a WBV stimulation (n = 10) and a control group to perform breathing exercises only (n=10). Before the intervention, pulmonary function, six-minute gait distance,