Effects of neuromuscular electrical stimulation on muscle strength, functional capacity and quaity of life among older patients with asthma

The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the effects of adding Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation (NMES) to conventional Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation (PTR) program on quadriceps strength, functional exercise capacity, dyspnea, and quality of life in older patients with asthma. This single blind randomized controlled trial includes 24 older patients with mild persistent stable asthma (67.28±2.29 years old). The participants were randomly divided NMES + PTR (n=12) and PTR (n=12) groups. PTR program for all volunteers consisted of an asthma patient education, breathing retraining, cardiovascular endurance training, and resistance training. Additionally, NMES was applied to quadriceps muscle simultaneously with voluntary contraction called a superimposed technique in the patients of NMES + PTR group during the resistance training. The exercise program was conducted three times a week for eight weeks duration. All participants were assessed in terms of quadriceps strength, functional exercise capacity, dyspnea, physical activity level, the risk for falling, quality of life, and pulmonary functions. Data were collected from all the patients at baseline, after four weeks, and at the end of the study (8 weeks). Findings of the present study revealed that superimposed NMES on quadriceps muscle combined with a patient education and exercise program led to statistically higher improvements in quadriceps strength, functional capacity, physical activity level, and quality of life in elderly asthmatics compared to PTR group (p<0.05). Furthermore, patients in the NMES + PTR group had statistically reduced dyspnea and risk of falling scores (p<0.05). As far as we know, our study is the first study aimed to investigate the effects of superimposed NMES on quadriceps muscle in elderly patients with asthma. In conclusion, the addition of superimposed NMES to the recommended PTR program was found to be a safe and effective method to gain higher improvements in quadriceps muscle strength, functional capacity, physical activity level, and health-related quality of life, and decrease the dyspnea and risk of falling in elderly patients with mild persistent asthma.