Urinary incontinence (UI) is an important social problem that affects more than 50% of postmenopausal women. The number of patients increases from year to year. According to recent data, UI affects women twice as often as men. This condition occurs in about 20-30% of young women, 30-40% in middle age and up to 50% of women in old age. There are five types of urinary incontinence. The etiology of the problem of incontinence is not fully understood, because the problem can affect men and women of all ages and can be due to many changes in the human body. International Continence Society Guidelines indicate that treatment of urinary incontinence should begin with conservative treatment. Surgical treatment should be used when conservative treatment will not bring positive results. According to guidelines, conservative treatment should include pharmacotherapy, physiotherapy, and behavioral therapy. Numerous scientific reports indicate efficacy of physiotherapy in the treatment of urinary incontinence. Most recent reports indicate that physiotherapy gives a positive result in up to 80% of patients with stage I or stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and mixed form, and in 50% of patients with stage II SUI. Urinary incontinence is an interdisciplinary problem because in addition to the sphere directly related to medicine, it also concerns the economic and social spheres. The latest data show that incontinence in postmenopausal women occurs more often than other civilization diseases such as diabetes, hypertension or depression.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) adversely affects the quality of life and life expectancy of patients. Shortness of breath, cough, and fatigue in lower limbs are the main reasons limiting physical activities of patients. The lack of physical activity results in poorer muscle strength. The latest guidelines regarding breathing rehabilitation in COPD patients emphasize a significant role of inspiratory muscle exercises. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effects of an 8-week long inspiratory muscle training, interval training on a cycle ergometer, and training combining both kinds of rehabilitation, on pulmonary function, health-related quality of life, and the tolerance to exercise in patients with COPD. The study was conducted in a group of 43 patients with diagnosed COPD stage II and III according to GOLD. They were randomly divided into four training groups: inspiratory muscle training (Group 1), cycle ergometer training (Group 2), cycle ergometer and inspiratory muscle training (Group 3), control group - patients who did not participate in any rehabilitation programs (Group 4 - control). Before the rehabilitation process and after its completion the patients were medically examined, they completed a health-related quality of life questionnaire, performed a 6-min walk test, spirometry, and a treadmill exercise test according to the modified Bruce protocol. The results demonstrate a significant improvement in the quality of life measured for Group 3 in comparison with the control group.

Purpose The aim of the study was to analyze the prevalence of depressive symptoms among older adults after stroke in a nursing home (NH). Design The study was conducted in a NH and included 50 patients after stroke with a mean age of 74.62 (±8.2). Method The Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), Acceptance Illness Scale (AIS) and Barthel Index (BI) were used. Findings Mean GDS was 7.60 (±2.75); 74% of patients had depressive symptoms. The study showed a significant relationship between GDS and marital status (p = .043). A negative correlations between GDS and MMSE (p = .029), GDS and BI (p = .049), and GDS and AIS (p < .0001) were found. Conclusion The occurrence of depressive symptoms in older adults after stroke depends on their mental and functional status, degree of acceptance of illness, and marital status. Clinical Relevance Early detection of depressive symptoms in stroke patients allows rehabilitation nurses to optimize the therapeutic effects.

This study investigated whether the addition of eight weeks of inspiratory muscle training (IMT) to a regular preseason soccer training program, including incremental endurance training (IET), would change pulmonary function, lung ventilation, and aerobic performance in young soccer players. Sixteen club-level competitive junior soccer players (mean age 17.63 ± 0.48 years, height 182 ± 0.05 cm, body mass 68.88 ± 4.48 kg) participated in the study. Participants were randomly assigned into two groups: experimental (n = 8) and control (n = 8). Both groups performed regular preseason soccer training, including endurance workouts as IET. In addition to this training, the experimental group performed additional IMT for eigght weeks with a commercially available respiratory muscle trainer (Threshold IMT), with a total of 80 inhalations (twice per day, five days per week). Preand post-intervention tests of pulmonary function, maximal inspiratory pressure, and the Cooper test were implemented. Eight weeks of IMT had a positive impact on expiratory muscle strength (p = 0.001); however, there was no significant effect on respiratory function parameters. The results also indicate increased efficiency of the inspiratory muscles, contributing to an improvement in aerobic endurance, measured by VO 2 max estimated from running distance in the cardiorespiratory Cooper test (p < 0.005). Author Contributions: Conceptualisation, K.M., K.R.-P., M.C.; methodology, K.M., K.R.-P., M.K.; software, M.K., P.O.; validation, K.R.-P., M.K., J.S.; formal analysis, K.M., K.R.-P, M.C.; investigation, M.C., K.M., J.S.; resources, J.S.; data curation, K.R.-P., P.O., K.M.; writing-original draft preparation, K.R.-P., K.M., M.C.; writing-review and editing, K.R.-P., K.M., P.O.; visualisation, M.K., M.C., P.O.; supervision, KM., K.R.-P. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript. Funding: This research received no external funding. Conflicts of Interest:The authors declare no conflict of interest. The results do not constitute endorsement of any product or device. The authors would like to thank the soccer players who participated in this study.

The values of functional parameters of the respiratory system were suitable for the age they were within the norm and did not show lung ventilation disorder. Most subjects of the study declared low physical activity which may be due to manual work on the farm. Smoking cigarettes significantly lowered the value of such parameters as FEV1, PEF and MEF50 only in the male group but the values did not indicate ventilatory disorder. Parameters of the respiratory system show the highest correlations with the parameters of muscle strength. Significant correlations with body compositions parameters (FFM, water) have been noticed too.

Background: According to the literature, inspiratory muscle fatigue may increase after swimming training (ST). This study aimed to examine the efficacy of 8-week inspiratory muscular training (IMT) in disabled swimmers, combined with standard sports training, on selected parameters of lung ventilation and the function of respiratory muscles. Methods: A total of 16 disabled swimming division athletes from Wroclaw’s ‘Start’ Regional Sports Association qualified for the study. The subjects were randomly divided into two groups (ST and IMT). Both groups participated in swimming training for 8 weeks (8 times a week). The IMT group additionally participated in inspiratory muscle training (8 weeks). In all respondents, a functional lung test and the respiratory muscle strength was measured. Results: After 8 weeks of training, a significant increase in ventilation parameters and respiratory muscle strength was observed only in the IMT group. In ST group 1, a 20% improvement in the strength of inspiratory muscles was achieved. Conclusions: The inclusion of IMT is an important element that complements swimming training, allowing for greater increases in lung ventilation parameters and the strength of respiratory muscles in disabled swimmers.

There are more than 200 different diseases classed as interstitial lung diseases (ILDs). For epidemiological and practical purposes, ILDs are classified into diseases of known and unknown etiology. The aim of this review is to evaluate our current knowledge about the efficacy and safety of pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) in patients with ILDs. Other issues, such as ILD pathogenesis, prevalence and comorbidity, are also elaborated in the review. Pulmonary rehabilitation is an important part of comprehensive care for patients with ILDs. In comparison to PR for patients with chronic pulmonary obstructive disease (COPD), the number of clinical studies concerning PR for patients with ILDs is small. The majority of trials have been performed in relatively small groups of patients. The principles of PR in this group of patients are the same as for patients with COPD. Exercise-induced desaturation is frequently observed during PR, which is the main source of complications in patients with ILDs. Major differences between ILD and COPD patients include poorer exercise tolerance and faster development of respiratory failure in patients with ILDs.

Background Respiratory therapy is an integral part of treatment of cardiac patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of addition of inspiratory muscle training (IMT) to second-stage cardiac rehabilitation on exercise tolerance and function of lower extremities in patients following myocardial infarction (MI). Material/Methods This study included 90 patients (mean age 65 years) with MI who took part in the second stage of an 8-week cycle of cardiac rehabilitation (CR). They were divided into 3 groups: group I underwent CR and IMT, group II only underwent CR, and group III only underwent IMT. Groups I and II were allocated randomly according sealed opaque envelopes. The third group consisted of patients who could not participate in standard rehabilitation for various reasons. Before and after the 8-week program, participants were assessed for maximal inspiratory and expiratory pressure (PImax and PEmax) values, exercise tolerance, and knee muscle strength. Results In groups I and II, a significant increase in the PImax parameters and exercise tolerance parameters (MET) were observed. Group I had increased PEmax parameters. In group III, the same changes in the parameter values that reflect respiratory muscle function were observed. All of the examined strength parameters of the knee joint muscles demonstrated improvement in all of the investigated groups, but the biggest differences were observed in group I. Conclusions Use of IMT in the ambulatory rehabilitation program of MI patients resulted in improved rehabilitation efficacy, leading to a significant improvement in physical condition.