To assess the value of chest physiotherapy
This was a small study looking at the effects of introducing regular chest physiotherapy, over a 3 month period, to patients who had not previously done such physiotherapy on a regular basis.
Key Conclusions: Chest physiotherapy improves exercise tolerance and health related quality of life (reported through quality of life questionnaires). The graph shows the physiotherapy group improved their walking distance by 55 metres compared to 5 metres in the group that did not receive regular chest physiotherapy. No impact on the results of spirometry tests (breathing tests). Larger studies are required to explore whether regular chest physiotherapy has an impact on frequency of chest infections.
Patient Implications: Chest physiotherapy – and clearance techniques more generally – are effective and worthwhile.
Reference: European Respiratory Journal 2009;34(5):1086-1092
