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People with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) may find it difficult to get a lot done on some days. Their difficulty breathing can make moving and getting out a challenge. There’s not a lot that can be done about this although researchers are looking at ways to improve medications and portable oxygen tanks also make it possible for some people to get out and about.
A new trial has found, though, that simple upper body exercises may be one way of helping people with COPD breathe more easily by strengthening the muscles in the chest.
Twenty-five patients with COPD participated in a trial that either had them doing regular exercise or using dumbbells that helped them strengthen their the pectoralis (the thick muscle, in the upper front of your chest), deltoids (the thick muscle responsible for the round shape of the shoulder), triceps brachii (in back of the upper arm), trapezius (spanning the neck, shoulders and back), and biceps brachii (upper arm muscle).
The researchers found that the patients who used the upper body training had better ability to breathe and better ability to perform activities of daily living that involve the the arms, resulting in less fatigue.
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Image: PhotoXpress.com
