Pulmonary Rehabilitation

For some pulmonary patients, walking for twenty minutes seems more like running the Boston marathon. However, declining into a sedentary lifestyle only worsens the symptoms. A medically-supervised exercise plan can help patients improve function, and enjoy activity again. Sturdy Memorial's Pulmonary Rehab team understands the challenges patients face, and provides personalized plans to help each one achieve their highest possible level of function.

Pulmonary Rehabilitation is a carefully-structured exercise and education program designed to help patients with various degrees of lung disease improve and maintain activity levels and enhance quality of life. Pulmonary specialists combine breathing and aerobic exercises with education, expert speakers and discussion to help return participants to their highest functional level.

The History of Pulmonary Rehabilitation at Sturdy Memorial

Pulmonary Rehabilitation at Sturdy Memorial began as a four-patient "experiment" to determine whether an exercise and education program might have long-term advantages for those with COPD. We knew that cardiac patients had shown greater improvement and compliance rates with cardiac rehabilitation and assumed pulmonary patients would benefit from a similar treatment model. At the end of 24 visits, the pilot group showed marked improvements in both their activity levels and well-being. What started as one of the area's first small groups has grown into a highly-respected program with two sessions running concurrently each week. Thanks to the efforts of test programs like Sturdy Memorial's, pulmonary rehabilitation has become a standard of care, covered by Medicare and most insurance companies, helping patients achieve substantial improvements in lung function, mobility and self-care.