Breathing and Relaxation Exercises for Asthma: a Randomised Controlled Trial

A Physical Therapy Treatment for Adults Diagnosed With Asthma in Primary Care: a Randomised Controlled Trial

All patients on the GP asthma database in one practice were invited for an asthma physical-therapy assessment, at baseline. Volunteers satisfying the inclusion criteria ie - aged between 16 and 70, able to understand, read and write English, give informed consent, willing to attend the surgery to take part in the trial and with no other serious conditions - were invited to participate in the study. Patients were randomised either to a control group, receiving 2 more assessments at 6 and 12 months, or for comparison to a group receiving 5 physical-therapy treatments of integrated breathing and relaxation exercises (known as the Papworth Method (PM)). The two groups would then be compared at 6 and 12 months.

Hypotheses:

1. The PM of breathing and relaxation training would improve the quality of life for adult patients with asthma in primary care, compared with patients only receiving usual medical care.
2. Anxiety and depression, and symptoms from dysfunctional breathing would reduce compared with the control group.
3. Respiratory function measurements would improve compared with the control group.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Asthma
• Intervention / Treatment: Procedure: Breathing and relaxation exercises: the Papworth Method

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 56
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United Kingdom
  • Hertfordshire
    • Welwyn, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom, AL6 9EF
      • Bridge Cottage Surgery

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 16 years to 70 years (Child, Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• doctor diagnosed asthma, volunteers from the practice asthma database
• 16-70 years of age
• able to understand, speak and write English
• willing to give informed consent
• willing and able to attend the surgery for assessments and treatments

Exclusion Criteria:

• serious co-morbid conditions

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Health related Quality of Life as measured by the St George's Respiratory Questionnaire

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Anxiety and Depression as measured by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale.
Symptoms from dysfunctional breathing measured by the Nijmegen Questionnaire.
Respiratory measurements as measured by spirometry and capnography.

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University College London Hospitals
• Collaborators: University College, London; Welwyn Hatfield Primary Care Trust
• Investigators: Study Director: Professor Robert West, PhD, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: October 1, 2004
• Study Completion: January 1, 2006

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: November 15, 2006
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 15, 2006
• First Posted (Estimate): November 16, 2006

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): May 28, 2015
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 27, 2015
• Last Verified: November 1, 2006

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Asthma; Primary care; Randomised controlled trial; Breathing exercises; Relaxation exercises
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Respiratory Tract Diseases; Immune System Diseases; Lung Diseases; Hypersensitivity, Immediate; Bronchial Diseases; Lung Diseases, Obstructive; Respiratory Hypersensitivity; Hypersensitivity; Asthma
• Other Study ID Numbers: EC03660