Ngai SPC1, Cheung SY1, Fung KH1
1Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Background: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is characterized by chronic airflow limitation. Exertional dyspnea is one factor that limits the level of physical activities or even exercise in people with COPD. Previous studies showed that application of Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) on acupuncture points, i.e. Acu-TENS, has been reported to reduce level of dyspnoea in people with COPD. Thus, it is hypothesized that Acu-TENS could reduce level of dyspnea during exercise thereby enhancing exercise tolerance.
Purpose: The objectives of this study are to examine the effect of Acu-TENS on exercise endurance, as reflected by endurance shuttle walk test, in people with COPD.
Methods: This is a randomized crossover study. Twelve patients with confirmed diagnosis of COPD were recruited. All subjects were invited to the laboratory for 3 times. In the first visit, subjects would perform two trials of incremental shuttle walk tests (ISWTs) and one trial of endurance shuttle walk test (ESWT). The second and third visits were intervention days 1 and 2. On each intervention day, subjects were asked to perform one ESWT (E1), and then received either Acu-TENS, i.e. TENS applied on two acupoints, EX-B1 Dingchuan and BL13 Feishu) or Placebo-TENS group, similar to Acu-TENS but with internal circuit disconnected for 45 minutes followed by another ESWT (E2). If subjects received Acu-TENS on intervention day 1, they would receive Placebo-TENS on intervention day 2, and vice versa. Each intervention day was separated with 1 week apart as washout period. The change in duration of E1 and E2 of each intervention day was compared.
Results: Patients with mean age of 69±3.5 with %predFEV1 of 55.5±23% joined the study. When comparing the change in duration walked between E1 and E2, patients receiving Acu-TENS have significantly longer walking duration than Placebo-TENS by 119±134seconds (p 0.05). At the end of each ESWT, no significant differences in the change of dyspnoea score measured before and after E1 and E2 (p>0.05) and between Acu-TENS and Placebo TENS.
Conclusion(s): The current findings suggest that Acu-TENS applied on two acupoints, i.e. EX-B1 and BL-13, could improve the exercise endurance, as reflected by the change in ESWT duration. With the improved level of exercise endurance immediately after one session of Acu-TENS and no adverse event reported, it is hypothesized that Acu-TENS could be applied before exercise for prolonging their tolerance to exercise thereby optimizing the training effect.
Implications: This study implies that Acu-TENS, a non-invasive East-meets-West modality, could be used before exercise to promote the exercise tolerance thereby enhancing their training potential with exercise training program.
Keywords: Acu-TENS, COPD, Exercise
Funding acknowledgements: This study is supported by the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (#1-ZE3E)
Purpose: The objectives of this study are to examine the effect of Acu-TENS on exercise endurance, as reflected by endurance shuttle walk test, in people with COPD.
Methods: This is a randomized crossover study. Twelve patients with confirmed diagnosis of COPD were recruited. All subjects were invited to the laboratory for 3 times. In the first visit, subjects would perform two trials of incremental shuttle walk tests (ISWTs) and one trial of endurance shuttle walk test (ESWT). The second and third visits were intervention days 1 and 2. On each intervention day, subjects were asked to perform one ESWT (E1), and then received either Acu-TENS, i.e. TENS applied on two acupoints, EX-B1 Dingchuan and BL13 Feishu) or Placebo-TENS group, similar to Acu-TENS but with internal circuit disconnected for 45 minutes followed by another ESWT (E2). If subjects received Acu-TENS on intervention day 1, they would receive Placebo-TENS on intervention day 2, and vice versa. Each intervention day was separated with 1 week apart as washout period. The change in duration of E1 and E2 of each intervention day was compared.
Results: Patients with mean age of 69±3.5 with %predFEV1 of 55.5±23% joined the study. When comparing the change in duration walked between E1 and E2, patients receiving Acu-TENS have significantly longer walking duration than Placebo-TENS by 119±134seconds (p 0.05). At the end of each ESWT, no significant differences in the change of dyspnoea score measured before and after E1 and E2 (p>0.05) and between Acu-TENS and Placebo TENS.
Conclusion(s): The current findings suggest that Acu-TENS applied on two acupoints, i.e. EX-B1 and BL-13, could improve the exercise endurance, as reflected by the change in ESWT duration. With the improved level of exercise endurance immediately after one session of Acu-TENS and no adverse event reported, it is hypothesized that Acu-TENS could be applied before exercise for prolonging their tolerance to exercise thereby optimizing the training effect.
Implications: This study implies that Acu-TENS, a non-invasive East-meets-West modality, could be used before exercise to promote the exercise tolerance thereby enhancing their training potential with exercise training program.
Keywords: Acu-TENS, COPD, Exercise
Funding acknowledgements: This study is supported by the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (#1-ZE3E)
Topic: Cardiorespiratory
Ethics approval required: No
Institution: The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Ethics committee: The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Departmental Ethics Committee
Reason not required: HSEARS20170526004
All authors, affiliations and abstracts have been published as submitted.
