The Effectiveness of Variant Respiratory Muscles Training in Upper Thoracic Spinal Cord Injury Patients

Background: Functional respiratory impairments & its complications are more common in upper thoracic cord injury as compared to lower spinal cord injuries. Ineffective breathing in upper thoracic cord injuries patients is the reason for increased rate of mortality & morbidity. The aim of this study is to find out the effectiveness of variant respiratory muscles training in upper thoracic spinal cord injury patients. Method: 20 upper thoracic injury patients, age 25-45years were enrolled based on connivance sampling & the inclusion criteria set for the study. To find out the effectiveness of different respiratory training various exercise regimes were intervened, which includes; a) diaphragmatic breathing b) incentive spirometry c) active breathing cycle technique with weight lifting. Upper thoracic injuries patients with cardiovascular complications, chest wall deformities, hypertensive patients & severe COPD patients were excluded from the study. Results: Based on the analysis of pre-test & post-test results of nipple level, auxiliary level & xiphisternum level variant respiratory training were found significantly effective in improving pulmonary functionality in patients with upper thoracic cord injuries patients. Conclusion; the result of the study can be concluded that, the effectiveness of combined respiratory training of different respiratory regimes, including a) diaphragmatic breathing b) incentive spirometry c) active breathing cycle technique with weight lifting were found to be more effective than the efficacy of a single respiratory training in patients with upper thoracic cord injuries patients. Keywords: Upper Thoracic Injury, Respiratory Impairments, Variants Breathing Exercise