The effect of inspiratory muscle training on the quality of life, immune response, inspiratory and lower limb muscle strength of older adults: a randomized controlled trial

Abstract Objective: To evaluate the impact of inspiratory muscle training (IMT) on the quality of life, immune response, inspiratory and lower limb muscle strength of older adults. Method: A randomized clinical trial was conducted with 30 institutionalized older adults. They were allocated into two groups: the IMT group (n=15), which underwent IMT with PowerBreathe Classic, using a load of 60% of maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP). This was performed using a 30 repetition protocol, three times a week, for six weeks. The second group was the control group (n=15) which did not perform any type of therapeutic intervention. In both groups, MIP, lower limb strength by sit-up test, quality of life by the SF-36 questionnaire and C-reactive protein (CRP) were evaluated. Results: The results demonstrated the homogeneity between the groups regarding the demographic and clinical variables. The IMT group showed an increase in the variation of MIP (9.20±7.36 cmH2O) compared to the control (0.93±8.79 cmH2O). Improvement was also observed in the sitting and standing test (p