• Sarawut Jansang, Timothy Mickleborough, and Daroonwan Suksom.
• J Med Assoc Thai. 2016 Sep 1; 99 (9): 1046-51.

BackgroundAging results in decline in lung function and reduction of respiration muscle strength.ObjectiveTo investigate whether pursed-lip breathing exercise, using windmill toy, can improve lung function, and respiratory muscle strength in the elderly.Material And MethodFifty-four older men and women (aged 60 to 75 years) were randomly assigned to three groups, control (CON, n = 18), diaphragmatic breathing exercise (DBE, n = 18), and pursed-lips breathing exercise (PBE, n = 18) group. The DBE group was subjected to deep breathing exercises by slowly inhaling and exhaling through the nose. The PBE group was subjected to a breathing maneuver that comprised of inhaling gently through the nose, and then slowly and gently squeeze air out through pursed-lips using windmill toy to control the airflow. Both breathing exercise groups (PBE and DBE) performed the maneuvers three times per week for 12 weeks. Shortness of breath, 6-minute walk distance (6MWD), lung function, and respiratory muscle strength were measured at pre- and post-test.ResultsShortness of breath scores, the ratio of force vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), and maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP) were significantly increased (all p<0.05) in the PBE group compared to CON and DBE groups at weeks 12. However, no significant differences in maximum expiratory pressure (MEP) were observed in all three groups.ConclusionPursed-lips breathing exercise using a windmill toy is an effective breathing exercise intervention for improving lung function and respiratory muscle strength in the elderly.

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