Inspiratory and Trunk Muscle Activity During IMT on Stable and Unstable Surfaces in Stroke Patients

Inspiratory and Trunk Muscle Activity During Inspiratory Muscle Training on Stable and Unstable Surfaces in People After Stroke

This study aims to investigate the differences in muscle recruitment of the diaphragm (assessed using ultrasound), the sternocleidomastoid (SCM) and trunk muscles (both measured via surface electromyography (sEMG)), during loaded breathing training performed on both stable and unstable surfaces. The goal is to understand the interaction between the inspiratory and trunk muscles during Inspiratory muscle training (IMT) across these two surface conditions.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age ≥ 40 years and < 80 years
• Breathing spontaneously
• Clinically diagnosed with ischemic and/or hemorrhagic stroke
• Stroke duration from onset between 1 and 12 months
• No thoracic or abdominal surgery in the past 6 months
• No cognitive impairment (Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) score ≥ 26)
• Able to understand and follow verbal instructions
• No facial palsy or only mild facial palsy without limitation of labial occlusion
• Able to complete all loaded breathing tests on both stable and unstable surfaces included in this study

Exclusion Criteria:

• Acute myocardial infarction or acute heart failure
• Acute pain in any part of the body
• History of chronic respiratory illness or positive clinical signs of impaired respiratory function (such as shortness of breath, hypoxemia, chronic cough, and sputum retention)
• Presence of a nasal feeding tube, tracheal tube, or any condition that prevents the measurement or implementation of the study procedures