Comparative Effect of Chair Calisthenics, Yoga, and Chest Physiotherapy on Exercise Tolerance, Quality of Life, and Duration of Hospital Stay in Hospitalized Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Patients

Abstract

Aims: Previous studies have inferred that calisthenics, yoga, and chest physiotherapy (CPT) are effective in managing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients. However, there are no studies done to compare calisthenics, yoga, and CPT. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of calisthenics exercises, yoga, and CPT on exercise tolerance, fatigue level, quality of life (QOL), and duration of hospital stay in COPD patients. Subjects and Methods: This study was an assessor-blinded, randomized, controlled trial. Data were collected from the inpatient department of a tertiary care hospital in Belagavi. Thirty-three patients diagnosed with COPD were divided randomly into calisthenics, yoga, and CPT groups. Outcomes were assessed for exercise tolerance, breathlessness, lung capacity, and QOL. Within-group analysis was done using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test/paired t-test. Between-group comparison was done using the ANOVA/Kruskal–Wallis test. Post hoc test was used to find which specific group was better than the others. Results: Between-group analyses showed that calisthenics was better than CPT (P < 0.001) to improve lung capacity, whereas calisthenics and yoga showed equal effect in improving lung capacity. Conclusions: Calisthenics, yoga, and CPT are equally effective in improving exercise tolerance, QOL, and perceived exertion. Calisthenics and yoga are equally effective and better than CPT in improving lung capacity of patients with COPD.