THE importance of improving respiration in patients with bronchial asthma through the use of respiratory and physical exercise has been emphasized by several investigators.1-11 Various methods of measuring the progress of rehabilitation have been used in an attempt to determine the value of exercise programs in the routine treatment of perennial bronchial asthma.6,10-12
When properly instructed and with practice, asthmatic children can learn to improve their breathing patterns, decrease hyperinflation by increasing diaphragmatic excursions, and decrease severity and length of acute asthma attacks.8,11,12
This paper is an appraisal of the progress of children with perennial asthma in a special outpatient rehabilitation class (Bucking Bronchos, YMCA, Oak Park, Ill). These children had the benefit of physical fitness and breathing exercises for one hour, once a week during the school year. An analysis was made of serial pulmonary function tests performed during the period of study.
Materials and Methods