Novas variáveis do treinamento muscular respiratório e sua contribuição para a capacidade pulmonar de pessoas idosas: um estudo preliminar

Abstract

Introduction: Brazil currently ranks seventh among the world’s most populous countries, with an increase of 57% in the number of people over the age of 65. In the process of biological aging, one of the systems that is usually compromised is the respiratory system, which suffers from a decrease in muscle strength, a reduction in rib cage compliance and a deficit in elastic lung retraction. The Powerbreathe® K5 is a device suitable for training the inspiratory muscles, which allows for greater load adjustment and introduces new variables for respiratory analysis. Objective: To present these variables measured by the Powerbreathe® K5 and their contribution to physiological understanding and possible respiratory dysfunctions. Methodology: The sample consisted of 25 elderly people and was divided into two groups. The first group had the resistance intensity of the equipament pre-set by and the second group opted for an automatic resistance setting. The pulmonary variables of force (measured in watts), flow (measured in liters/sec) and energy (measured in joules) were evaluated after 20 sessions. Results: The variables analyzed showed statistical significance in force (p< 0.0001) and flow (p= 0.00094) in both groups. Energy was significant in the group with automatic loading (p= 0.017). Conclusion: The study concludes the importance of advanced understanding of new pulmonary variables in rehabilitation and progress in the field of preventive research of diseases of the respiratory system.