Rollator use and COPD

Rollators helping COPD users exercise

A US study from 2010 (see below) found that rollators is a useful tool to help COPD sufferers gain extra mobility.

It noted that “A rollator improves the biomechanical efficiency of walking and breathing, repositioning the body forwards, anchoring the  upper extremities, and assuming a small amount of the user’s weight.”

The breathing difficulties caused by COPD can make it difficult for sufferers to exercise and even short strolls can be hard to manage – this in turn often leads to increasing isolation for people suffering from COPD.

There are however ways to safely include exercise, and this forms a big part of the treatment for COPD.

In addition to making it easier for the user to walk by offering balance support and stability, the rollator gave the people in the study an added sense of safety.

In the study, both users (86%) and infrequent users (91%) indicated that the rollator improved their quality of life.

Terms and sources:
COPD – chronic obstructive pulmonary disease – a term used to descripe conditions where the airways become inflamed and the air sacs in your lungs are damaged. This causes your airways to become narrower, which makes it harder to breathe in and out. (www.bfl.org.uk)

Study: Effect of Rollator Use on Health-Related Quality of Life in Individuals With COPD* from CHEST magazine, Official publication of the American College of Chest Physicians
Authors: Renu B. Gupta, MSc; Dina Brooks, PhD; Yves Lacasse, MD; and
Roger S. Goldstein, MB ChB, FCCP – Full article here