Effects of respiratory exercises on the vital capacity and forced expiratory volume in children with cerebral palsy.

The purpose of this study was to determine if breathing exercises can increase the vital capacity in children with cerebral palsy. Ten children with spastic cerebral palsy, five in the experimental group and five in the control group, were the subjects for the study. A spirometer was used to measure vital capacity and the forced expiratory volume before and after the children performed a breathing exercise program. The pretest values for all 10 youngsters indicated a vital capacity lower than the normal predicted values. The breathing exercises selected emphasized strengthening of the muscles of inspiration and the muscles of expiration. In the breathing exercise program, the physical therapists also attempted to follow the Bobath treatment approach by inhibiting the abnormal breathing patterns and by teaching the child proper ways of breathing control. The results seem to indicate that a breathing exercise program can increase the vital capacity in youngsters with cerebral palsy. The vital capacity of the experimental group was increased by 0.46 liters after exercising for five to seven minutes each day for a period of eight weeks. The mean increase of the vital capacity was 31 percent over the pretest values. The control group showed no change in vital capacity. The pretest and posttest forced expiratory volumes of both groups were within normal limits.