Sitting around doing nothing is one of the biggest mistakes a person with lung disease can make. It results in de-conditioning of your muscles and sensations of increased shortness of breath whenever you do something. Pretty soon you become almost chair-bound and may become increasingly depressed. We have seen many people with COPD who, barely able to walk 50 feet before rehab, can walk 10 or 15 times that far after participating in a pulmonary rehabilitation program.
Who benefits?
If your lung function is reduced enough that you feel impaired in your normal physical activity and/or your job, you will probably benefit from a rehab program. This loss of function is almost always reflected in abnormal pulmonary function tests, but programs generally do not use specific pulmonary function test criteria for entrance into the programs.
Education and counseling
You will also benefit from a pulmonary rehab program if you do not understand your disease, how to properly use your medication, are over or underweight, or do not know about breathing techniques and energy conservation issues that will help you to become more functional. You also may benefit if you experience anxiety or other mental distress because of your inability to breathe normally.
