DOI 10.
36803/indojpmr.
Indonesian Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation | Volume 14.
Issue 02, 2025
LITERATURE REVIEW
Inspiratory Muscle Training in Elderly Tresia Fransiska Ulianna Tambunan1,2.
Dave Nicander Kurnain3.
Helisa Rachel Patricie Sianipar4 Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.
Faculty of Medicine.
Universitas Indonesia.
Jakarta.
Indonesia.
University of Indonesia Hospital.
Depok.
Indonesia.
Faculty of Medicine.
Tarumanagara University.
Jakarta.
Indonesia.
Faculty of Medicine.
Universitas Indonesia.
Jakarta.
Indonesia.
ABSTRACT
Introduction: The World Health Organization (WHO) defines an elderly individual as someone aged 65 years or older.
With aging, the respiratory system undergoes structural and functional changes, leading to reduced pulmonary function, diminished exercise capacity, and increased susceptibility to respiratory diseases due to anatomical, physiological, and immunological alterations.
Inspiratory muscle training (IMT) has been proposed as an intervention to counteract these age-related declines.
Evidence suggests that IMT enhances inspiratory muscle strength, improves lung function, increases exercise tolerance and mobility, and promotes diaphragmatic hypertrophy in older adults.
Thus.
IMT may serve as a viable strategy to mitigate respiratory deterioration associated with aging.
Method: A literature search was conducted using PubMed.
Google Scholar, and the Cochrane Library to identify original research articles on inspiratory muscle training in the elderly.
Results: IMT has been demonstrated to counteract physiological changes associated with aging, leading to improved respiratory function and overall physical performance.
Conclusion: Given its documented benefits.
IMT represents a promising adjunctive or alternative training modality for older adults.
This literature review further explores the implementation and effectiveness of IMT in the elderly population.
Keywords: Inspiratory muscle training, aging, respiratory function, diaphragm Correspondence Details:
Tresia Fransiska Ulianna Tambunan Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.
Universitas Indonesia.
Jakarta.
Indonesia.
University of Indonesia Hospital.
Depok.
Indonesia.
Email: franciska_ut@yahoo.
A Indonesian Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Ai Published by PP PERDOSRI This is an open access article under the CC -BY .
ttp://creativecommons.
org/licenses/by/4.
0/).
Inspiratory Muscle Training in Elderly INTRODUCTION Elderly or elderly people are individuals who have entered the final stages of life.
WHO states that the elderly are individuals aged 65 years and The definition of elderly in Indonesia is stated in Law No.
13 of 1998, namely someone who has reached the age of 60 years and over.
1 In individuals with this stage, the aging process will occur.
Aging is a complex biological process that gradually impairs physiological function.
The cause of the aging process occurs due to the accumulation of various damages at the cellular level, which are called Hallmarks of Aging.
2,3 All organ systems in humans must experience the aging process and one of them is the respiratory system.
With aging, the respiratory system undergoes gradual changes that reduce function, performance, and resistance to lung disease due to anatomical, physiological, and immunological 5,6 These changes specifically affect respiratory muscle strength in the elderly, leading to breathlessness, increased effort during daily activities, reduced exercise response, and lower functional lung capacity and activity levels.
7,8 Seixas et al7.
reported that declining respiratory muscle strength is linked to higher mortality in older adults.
One approach to enhancing respiratory muscle strength is inspiratory muscle training (IMT).
IMT is performed by breathing against an external inspiratory load using a special device.
IMT
is very easy to implement, and is a rehabilitation intervention that is quite cheap and easy to apply8.
Several studies report that IMT improves lung structure and function, increases inspiratory muscle strength, exercise capacity, mobility and diaphragm thickness in the elderly.
Considering the benefits mentioned above.
IMT is an alternative or additional exercise modality that can be used in elderly people, especially when other types of exercise are not 7Ae9 In this literature review we will discuss further regarding IMT training in the elderly.
METHODS
This literature review provides a comprehensive overview of the current evidence on inspiratory muscle training in the elderly.
The search for relevant English literature was conducted using PubMed.
Google Scholar, and the Cochrane Library, focusing on articles published within the last 15 The search terms used included "inspiratory muscle training", "respiratory muscle training".
Tambunan et al.
, 2025
"elderly", "older adults", "older people", "aging", "lung aging", and "respiratory muscle strength".
The inclusion criteria for the studies were: .
participants aged 60 years or older, .
the intervention being inspiratory muscle training, and .
the study reporting outcomes related to respiratory muscle strength, exercise capacity, or functional status.
Studies were excluded if they were not published in peer-reviewed journals, did not have full-text availability, or did not assess the impact of inspiratory muscle training in the elderly population.
RESULTS
A narrative review of 40 articles from journals, books, and online databases was DISCUSSION