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RecruitingNCT07518472Updated Apr 8, 2026

Additional Effects of Box Breathing Technique With Short Term Pulmonary Rehabilitation on Dyspnea and Functional Capacity in Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

An interventional study of Short term Pulmonary Rehabilitation and Box breathing with short term pulmonary rehabilitation in Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive (COPD), sponsored by Foundation University Islamabad. Recruiting at 1 site in Pakistan. Open to participants aged 40 Years to 65 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-04-08.

Sponsored by Foundation University Islamabad · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

From the registry’s dates

  • Primary completion was expected by May 2026, 4 months ago, but the record still lists the study as recruiting.
  • Started Feb 2026; still recruiting 7 months later.
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
40
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
40 Years to 65 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease is progressive and irreversible respiratory condition characterized by persistent airflow limitation leading to dyspnea and reduced functional capacity.

Pulmonary rehabilitation along with different technqiues of breathing exercises reduces dyspnea and enhance functional capacity by improving ventilatory efficiency, respiratory muscle control and overall exercise tolerance in patients with COPD.

Read the detailed description

Chronic Obstructive pulmonary Disease is a progressive and irreversible respiratory condition characterized by persistent airflow limitation leading to dyspnea and reduced functional capacity.

Pulmonary Rehabilitation, a cornerstone in COPD management helps to reduce dyspnea and improve functional capacity. Although long-term PR programs yield sustained benefits, shorter-duration PR (e.g., 3-week interventions) may offer greater feasibility and higher patient adherence.

Total 40 participants will be allocated into two groups. Group A will be provided with short term Pulmonary rehabilitation along with pharmacological management and group B will be given additional Box breathing along with short term pulmonary rehabilitation The objective of this study is to determine the additional effects of Box breathing technique with short term pulmonary rehabilitation versus short term pulmonary rehabilitation alone on Dyspnea, Functional capacity and quality of life in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

02

Conditions studied

  • Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive (COPD)

Keywords

  • COPD
  • Short term pulmonary rehabilitation
  • box breathing
  • dyspnea
  • functional capacity
03

In context

Lung Diseases

3,303 studies on the registry are indexed under Lung Diseases; 355 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 40 is below the median of 72 across 2,118 interventional studies indexed under Lung Diseases.

Browse Lung Diseases studies →

Lead sponsor

Foundation University Islamabad is the lead sponsor of 238 studies on the registry; 128 are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
40 Years to 65 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

  • Age between 40-65 years
  • Both genders (male and female)
  • Grade 1-3 on mMRC scale of dyspnea
  • COPD mild stage according to global initiative for chronic obstructive lung -disease (GOLD) classification; Mild = FEV1 greater than or equal to 80% predicted

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patients having acute exerbation of COPD
  • Patients diagnosed with acute infection (pmeumonia, T.B)
  • Any orthopedic or neuromuscular condition that hinders participation in exercise training program
  • Patients unable to follow command and instructions
05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
40 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Short term pulmonary rehabilitation

    Patients in this group will receive Short term pulmonary rehabilitation along with pharmacological management. Two sessions per week, supervised by physiotherapist will be conducted for a total of 3 weeks.

    Other: Short term Pulmonary Rehabilitation

  • Experimental
    Box breathing with short term pulmonary rehabilitation

    Patients in this group will receive Box breathing as well as short term pulmonary rehabilitation along with pharmacological management. Two sessions per weeek, supervised by physiotherapist will be conducted for a total of 3 weeks. In Group B, box breathing will be performed daily. A home diary will be provided in order to ensure and follow-up that the participants are performing breathing exercise at home.

    Other: Box breathing with short term pulmonary rehabilitation

Interventions

  • OtherShort term Pulmonary Rehabilitation

    Patients in this group will receive short term pulmonary rehabilitation along with pharmacological management. A total of 3 weeks protocol will be followed in which 2 seesions per week will be supervised by physiotherapist. Short term pulmonary rehabilitation includes: Warm-up(5-7min): light walking Aerobic training: mild-moderate intensity (40-60% of MHR) cycling or walk on treadmill/over ground Strength training: Exercises for major muscle groups (upper limb, lower limb and trunk) using body weight based on 1RM. Upper limb: upright row, shoulder press, bicep curls Lower limb: sit-to-stand, mini knee lifts, 3 steps calf raises Core: Seated abdominal contraction, back extension Perform 1-2 sets of 5-10 repetitions for each exercise, resting 1-2 mins between sets. Breathing exercise: pursed-lip breathing (1-3 sets of 5-10 reps) Cool down: (5-10min) Pharmacological management: Patient will receive medications as per prescribed by pulmonologist

  • OtherBox breathing with short term pulmonary rehabilitation

    Patients in this group will receive box breathing with short term pulmonary rehabilitation along with pharmacological management. A total 3 weeks protocol will be followed in which 2 sessions per week will be supervised by physiotherapist and box breathing will be performed daily. Patient will receive short term pulmonary rehabilitation including: Warm -up (5-7 min): light walking Aerobic training: mild-moderate intensity (40-60%of MHR) cycling or walk on treadmill/over ground. Strength training: Exercises for major muscle groups (upper limb, lower limb and trunk) using body weight based on 1RM. Upper limb: upright row, shoulder press, bicep curls Lower limb: sit-to-stand, mini knee lifts, 3 steps calf raises Core: seated abdominal contractions, back extensions Perform 1-2 sets of 5-10 repetitions for each exercise resting 1-2 min between sets. Breathing exercise: pursed-lip breathing (1-3 sets of 5 -10 repetitions) Cool down: (5-10 min) Box breathing: The patient will be instructed

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Dyspnea

    Evaluation will be performed using the Modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) Dyspnea Scale, a clinician-administered scale ranging from 0 to 4, where: 0 indicates breathlessness only with strenuous exercise 4 indicates severe breathlessness (too breathless to leave the house or breathless while dressing) Higher scores represent worse dyspnea severity and poorer functional status.

    Time frame: 03 weeks

Secondary outcomes

  1. Functional Capacity

    Evaluation will be done by using 6 minute walk test

    Time frame: 03 weeks

07

Study locations

1 of 1 sites recruiting
  • Foundation University Islamabad
    Islamabad, Pakistan
    Recruiting
08

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Apr 8, 2026, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
09

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT07518472
Lead sponsor
Foundation University Islamabad
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Apr 8, 2026
Start date
Feb 28, 2026
Primary completion
May 15, 2026 (estimated)
Completion
May 15, 2026 (estimated)
Last update
Apr 8, 2026

Study contacts

Fanila Tamdeen, MSPT-CPT
Contact
fanilatamdeen69@gmail.com
+923185085604
Zara Khalid, PhD
Contact
zara.khalid@fui.edu.pk
+92333-5415822

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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