Respiratory muscle training as an adjunct to conventional rehabilitation: a pilot study on enhancing endurance and performance in injured athletes

Athletic events results in sports injuries that have the effect of interfering with respiratory efficiency and endurance; thus resulting in longer healing and poorer athletic performance. Traditional treatment methods target the injured location mostly disregarding the respiratory system in recovery of the functional capacity. Respiratory Muscle Training (RMT), notably the Inspiratory Muscle Training (IMT) has proven to build breathing muscles, increasing oxygen uptake, and minimizing fatigue, which leads to faster and more efficient recovery. This pilot randomized control trial proposes to answer the question concerning the effect of RMT as an adjunct to conventional rehabilitation to lower limb-injured athletes aged between 18 and 25 years. Twelve participants will also be placed into an intervention and a control group and perform RMT and standard rehabilitation respectively within a course of four weeks. Pre and post-interventional measures will comprise Forced Vital Capacity (FVC), Forced Expiratory Volume in one second (FEV1), Maximal Inspiratory Pressure (MIP) and Maximal Expiratory Pressure (MEP). This study will obtain preliminary evidence regarding whether RMT improved respiratory function, endurance, and performance outcomes and, thus, may be a cost-effective, non-invasive way to optimize rehabilitation and possibly an expedited return to sport.