Published Paper Details:

Background: Bronchial asthma is a chronic inflammatory airway disorder characterized by breathlessness, wheezing, and reduced quality of life. Along with pharmacological management, non-pharmacological interventions such as breathing exercises are gaining importance, especially in low-cost and community-based care settings in India. Inspiratory Muscle Training (IMT) strengthens the respiratory muscles, while the Buteyko Breathing Technique (BBT) focuses on controlled nasal breathing to reduce hyperventilation. However, evidence on the combined effect of these two techniques is limited. Aim: To study the combined effect of Inspiratory Muscle Training and Buteyko Breathing Technique on reducing breathlessness and improving quality of life in asthmatic patients. Methodology: A quasi-experimental study was conducted on 30 patients with bronchial asthma aged between 35–45 years, selected by purposive sampling from Sri Ramakrishna Multispecialty Hospital, Coimbatore. Participants underwent Inspiratory Muscle Training using a threshold IMT device along with Buteyko Breathing Technique for 6 weeks. Breathlessness was assessed using the Modified Borg Dyspnea Scale and quality of life was measured using the Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (AQLQ). Pre- and post-test values were analyzed using paired t-test. Results: The results showed a statistically significant reduction in breathlessness, with the mean Modified Borg Dyspnea score improving from 5.96 to 3.93 (t = 6.213). Quality of life also showed a significant improvement, with AQLQ scores improving from 3.26 to 2.1 (t = 6.049). Conclusion: The study concludes that the combined application of Inspiratory Muscle Training and Buteyko Breathing Technique is effective in reducing breathlessness and improving quality of life in asthmatic patients. Hence, the null hypothesis was rejected and the alternate hypothesis was accepted.