Effects of a 12-week Inspiratory Muscle Training Program With Low Resistance in Patients With Multiple Sclerosis

Participants:

Patients from two MS associations will be recruited to participate in a 12-week randomized trial.

The sample size calculation determine that 31 participants in each group are required to observe a minimum difference in the maximum inspiratory pressure (MIP) of 12 cm H2O, considering a power of 90%, a safety of 95% and a 10% dropout rate.

The participants in the study are diagnosed with MS, are over 18 years old, have a disability lower than 9 in the Expanded disability status scale (EDSS) and are able to understand the objectives of the study. Those participants with a current or past neurological pathology other than MS will be excluded from the study, as well as those who had had a relapse of MS or any respiratory pathology during the 4 weeks prior to the start of the study, or any other complication that may have impeded the performance of the evaluation tests or breathing techniques. All patients will be asked to carry out the 5-day weekly program at home, and a recording sheet will be provided to each participant so they will can record the time of each daily respiratory training session. All participants signed an informed consent form.

The patients will be assigned to the two groups randomly. The main researcher doesn´t meet any of the participants until the initial assessment will be carried out. The intervention group (n = 36) will receive a training protocol of IMT, while the control group (n = 31) will follow a program of nasal breathing and maximum exhalations.