The influence of regular physical activity on lung function in paraplegic people.

Abstract

Cross-sectional study. The main goal of this study was to examine the influence of regular physical activity (PA) on lung volumes and flows. The study was conducted in the Vall d'Hebrón Hospital, Barcelona (Spain), and La Fe Hospital, Valencia (Spain). Spirometric tests were performed to 67 paraplegics, and differences were established between the active group (AG) (n=37) that performed >60 min per week of moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) and 30 non-AG (NAG). Further, we established the relationship between the spirometric and PA variables and between being active and reaching the lower limit of normal (LLN) of the spirometric variables. AG had greater values than the NAG: FVC (P<0.01), FEV₁ (P<0.01) and PEF (P<0.01). Moderate correlations between the MVPA and FVC (r=0.41, P<0.01) and the MVPA and FEV₁ (r=0.39, P<0.01) were obtained. The relationship between being physically active and reaching the LLN was statistically significant for FEV₁ (χ²=6.184, P<0.05) but not for FVC (P>0.05). The performance of MVPA for a minimum of 60 min per week can have a beneficial effect, both on lung volumes and on expiratory flow, and led to an achievement of the LLN in FEV₁.