Respiratory Muscle Training in Patients With Subacute Ischemic Stroke

According to WHO, stroke, also known as cerebrovascular accident, is a neurological condition that results in rapidly developing loss of brain function as a result of a problem in the blood supply to the brain. Stroke, which ranks third among the causes of death, is one of the leading causes of disability. This neurological condition affects not only the periphery but also the respiratory muscles such as the diaphragm and intercostal muscles, causing respiratory weakness, changes in breathing patterns, and a decrease in respiratory volume. These changes in breathing lead to a decrease in physical activity and therefore limitation in daily living activities. The decrease in respiratory muscle strength results in an increase in morbidity and mortality due to decreased pulmonary function. Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) is the most common non-pharmacological treatment method for pulmonary diseases. PR has been studied extensively in patients with neuromuscular disease or spinal cord injury patients with restrictive pulmonary disease; However, studies in stroke patients with respiratory complications such as pneumonia are limited. There are studies in the literature showing that respiratory muscle training applied after stroke has positive effects on various respiratory parameters. In this study, the development of the pulmonary muscles with respiratory muscle training after stroke will be followed by ultrasound and functional tests, and the effect of this development on hand grip strength and activity performance, which is an indicator of general muscle strength, will be examined.