Effect of Balance Training on Health Related Quality of Life in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)

Abstract

Objective: There is a need to find the effect of balance training with pulmonary rehabilitation in subjectswith COPD. The Purpose of this study is to find the effectiveness of balance training with pulmonaryrehabilitation on improvement of balance, exercise tolerance, health related quality of life and risk of falls.Method: A 20 moderate COPD subjects randomised into experimental group and control group. Theexperimental group with 10 subjects were treated with balance training along with pulmonary rehabilitationand control group with 10 subjects were treated with pulmonary rehabilitation for eight weeks. The outcomemeasurements such as Berg Balance Scale, Timed Up and Go Test, Activities Balance Confidence (ABC)scale, 6 minutes walk test and St George Respiratory Questionnaire was measured before and after 8 weeksof intervention in both the groups’ subjects.Results: There is a statistically significant difference (p<0.05) in means of balance measures, Six minuteswalk test, and St. George respiratory questionnaire between the groups. There is no statistically significantdifference in St. George respiratory questionnaire components- Symptoms, and Activity score between thegroups.Conclusion: The subjects with moderate COPD shown greater improvement in balance, exercise tolerance,health related quality of life and reduced risk of falls in pulmonary rehabilitation with balance training.