earticle

영어

In people with spinal cord injury (SCI), the paralysis of respiratory muscles directly results in the weakness of respiratory function and increased level in diaphragmatic fatigue, demonstrating the features of restrictive diseases. If there are no appropriate therapeutic strategies for its management, respiratory failure can be exacerbated over time, and complications are much likely to worsen physical function, being frequently regarded as life-threatening condition. Therefore, pulmonary rehabilitation should be considered as important health issues to facilitate functional recovery of people with SCI, especially in cervical injury. Following SCI, the function of paralyzed chest wall musculature is compensated by abdominal movements, and thereby respiratory efficiency is remarkably reduced by this abnormal mechanism. This is indicative of intensive respiratory training to improve breathing pattern, gas exchange, and oxygen consumption. In particular, given that people with cervical cord injury are so susceptible for respiratory failure with higher risk of respiratory complications, pulmonary rehabilitation must be a critical step in the pathway to ameliorate their symptoms and facilitate functional recovery. Respiratory muscle training is inevitable for enhancing physical function of people with SCI as well as increasing breathing capacity, and particularly in cervical cord injury, and it also may be helpful to prevent respiratory complications. This study was designed to describe comprehensive knowledge about the management of respiratory problems in people with SCI. This study provides useful information for clinicians and researchers that explore the best therapeutic way to manage respiratory symptoms of people with SCI. Further studies need to evidence the effectiveness of various therapeutic approaches to treat their respiratory problems.