Additional Effects of Box Breathing Technique With Short Term Pulmonary Rehabilitation on Dyspnea and Functional Capacity in Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

NCT07518472 | Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: FUCP/CTR/2026/01
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 40
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease is progressive and irreversible respiratory condition characterized by persistent airflow limitation leading to dyspnea and reduced functional capacity. Pulmonary rehabilitation along with different technqiues of breathing exercises reduces dyspnea and enhance functional capacity by improving ventilatory efficiency, respiratory muscle control and overall exercise tolerance in patients with COPD.

Conditions

Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive (COPD)

Keywords

COPD; Short term pulmonary rehabilitation; box breathing; dyspnea; functional capacity

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Dyspnea

  Evaluation will be performed using the Modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) Dyspnea Scale, a clinician-administered scale ranging from 0 to 4, where: 0 indicates breathlessness only with strenuous exercise 4 indicates severe breathlessness (too breathless to leave the house or breathless while dressing) Higher scores represent worse dyspnea severity and poorer functional status.

  03 weeks

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• Functional Capacity

  03 weeks

Study Arms (2)

Short term pulmonary rehabilitation

EXPERIMENTAL

Patients in this group will receive Short term pulmonary rehabilitation along with pharmacological management. Two sessions per week, supervised by physiotherapist will be conducted for a total of 3 weeks.

Other: Short term Pulmonary Rehabilitation

Box breathing with short term pulmonary rehabilitation

EXPERIMENTAL

Patients in this group will receive Box breathing as well as short term pulmonary rehabilitation along with pharmacological management. Two sessions per weeek, supervised by physiotherapist will be conducted for a total of 3 weeks. In Group B, box breathing will be performed daily. A home diary will be provided in order to ensure and follow-up that the participants are performing breathing exercise at home.

Other: Box breathing with short term pulmonary rehabilitation

Interventions

Short term Pulmonary Rehabilitation OTHER

Patients in this group will receive short term pulmonary rehabilitation along with pharmacological management. A total of 3 weeks protocol will be followed in which 2 seesions per week will be supervised by physiotherapist. Short term pulmonary rehabilitation includes: Warm-up(5-7min): light walking Aerobic training: mild-moderate intensity (40-60% of MHR) cycling or walk on treadmill/over ground Strength training: Exercises for major muscle groups (upper limb, lower limb and trunk) using body weight based on 1RM. Upper limb: upright row, shoulder press, bicep curls Lower limb: sit-to-stand, mini knee lifts, 3 steps calf raises Core: Seated abdominal contraction, back extension Perform 1-2 sets of 5-10 repetitions for each exercise, resting 1-2 mins between sets. Breathing exercise: pursed-lip breathing (1-3 sets of 5-10 reps) Cool down: (5-10min) Pharmacological management: Patient will receive medications as per prescribed by pulmonologist

Short term pulmonary rehabilitation

Box breathing with short term pulmonary rehabilitation OTHER

Patients in this group will receive box breathing with short term pulmonary rehabilitation along with pharmacological management. A total 3 weeks protocol will be followed in which 2 sessions per week will be supervised by physiotherapist and box breathing will be performed daily. Patient will receive short term pulmonary rehabilitation including: Warm -up (5-7 min): light walking Aerobic training: mild-moderate intensity (40-60%of MHR) cycling or walk on treadmill/over ground. Strength training: Exercises for major muscle groups (upper limb, lower limb and trunk) using body weight based on 1RM. Upper limb: upright row, shoulder press, bicep curls Lower limb: sit-to-stand, mini knee lifts, 3 steps calf raises Core: seated abdominal contractions, back extensions Perform 1-2 sets of 5-10 repetitions for each exercise resting 1-2 min between sets. Breathing exercise: pursed-lip breathing (1-3 sets of 5 -10 repetitions) Cool down: (5-10 min) Box breathing: The patient will be instructed

Box breathing with short term pulmonary rehabilitation

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 40 Years - 65 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Age between 40-65 years
• Both genders (male and female)
• Grade 1-3 on mMRC scale of dyspnea
• COPD mild stage according to global initiative for chronic obstructive lung -disease (GOLD) classification; Mild = FEV1 greater than or equal to 80% predicted

You may not qualify if:

• Patients having acute exerbation of COPD
• Patients diagnosed with acute infection (pmeumonia, T.B)
• Any orthopedic or neuromuscular condition that hinders participation in exercise training program
• Patients unable to follow command and instructions

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Foundation University Islamabad: lead

Study Sites (1)

Foundation University Islamabad

Islamabad, Pakistan

RECRUITING

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Lung Diseases; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive; Dyspnea

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Respiratory Tract Diseases; Lung Diseases, Obstructive; Chronic Disease; Disease Attributes; Pathologic Processes; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Respiration Disorders; Signs and Symptoms, Respiratory; Signs and Symptoms

Central Study Contacts

Fanila Tamdeen, MSPT-CPT

CONTACT

+923185085604; fanilatamdeen69@gmail.com

Zara Khalid, PhD

CONTACT

+92333-5415822; zara.khalid@fui.edu.pk

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Model Details: This is a randomized controlled trial having two groups. One group (interventional group A) wil receive Short term pulmonary rehabilitation along with pharmacological management and the other group (interventional group B) will perform Box breathing combined with Short term pulmonary rehabilitation and pharmacological management.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: March 27, 2026
• First Posted: April 8, 2026
• Study Start: February 28, 2026
• Primary Completion: May 15, 2026
• Study Completion: May 15, 2026
• Last Updated: April 8, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-02

Locations

PA (1)