The effects of lung volume recruitment therapy on respiratory function and quality of life in people with neuromuscular disease

Abstract

Respiratory muscle weakness results in substantial discomfort, disability and ultimately death in many neuromuscular diseases (NMDs). Respiratory compromise manifests as some or all of, shallow breathing, poor cough and associated difficulty clearing mucus, respiratory tract infections, hypoventilation, sleep-disordered breathing and chronic ventilatory failure. As survival outcomes improve for many NMDs, there is a shift towards more proactive and preventative chronic disease multi-disciplinary care models that manage symptoms, improve morbidity and reduce mortality. Unfortunately, clinical care guidelines for chronic NMD care are based largely on clinical rationale and consensus opinion ra..