title: [Respiratory muscle training programs: impact on the functional autonomy of the elderly].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare two respiratory muscle training programs for improving the functional autonomy of institutionalized elderly.
  
  
  METHODS
  Clinical randomized trial conducted at a long stay institution with 42 elderly volunteers that were divided into three groups: Group ® Threshold (GT) with mean age (70.93 ± 8.41), Group Voldyne ® (GV) (70.54 ± 7.73) and Control Group (CG) (73.92 ± 7.28). Groups GT and GV were treated with breathing exercises and muscle training by Threshold and Voldyne, respectively while the CG did just breathing exercises. Training of groups took 10 weeks. To assess the functional autonomy, the elderly were evaluated before and after training, according to the GDLAM protocol.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All intra-group comparison (pre x post-test) showed a significant difference in GT for all tests (C10M: Δ% = -20.57, p = 0.0001; LPS: Δ% = -13.53, p = 0.020; VTC: Δ% = -27.96, p = 0.0001; LCLC: Δ% = -18.71, p = 0.0001 and IG:% Δ = -18.43, p = 0.0001), except in LPDV. In GV there was a significant difference only (p <0.05) for the C10M (% Δ = -17.11, p = 0.004). In the comparison between (post x post), there was a statistical significance (p <0.05) for VTC test between the GT and GV (Δ = -3.62%, p = 0.017), with favorable results for the GT. Similarly, there was a statistical difference (p <0.05) in GT C10M (% Δ = -3.83, p = 0.023), LCLC (Δ = -34.02%, p = 0.012) and IG (Δ% = -13.63, p = 0.004) compared to GC.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The trained groups improved functional autonomy, reaching 27.42; considered to be a weak level in both pre-and post-training.
authors.affiliation: Universidade Castelo Branco, Rio de Janeiro, RJ.
authors.forename: Marilia de Andrade
authors.initials: Mde A
authors.lastname: Fonseca
authors.forename: Samaria Ali
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Cader
authors.forename: Estelio Henrique Martin
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Dantas
authors.forename: Silvia Correa
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Bacelar
authors.forename: Elirez Bezerra da
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: Silvania Matheus de Oliveira
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Leal
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D001945:Breathing Exercises; D005081:Exercise Therapy / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D016330:Frail Elderly; D006801:Humans; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric