The LAM Australasia Research Alliance (LARA) is dedicated to improving the health prospects of women with LAM in Australia, New Zealand and throughout the region. A disease that affects only women, LAM is rare and often devastating.
Major Donors
Macquarie Group Foundation
Henry H. Roth Charitable Foundation
Hollick Wines
Acknowledgements
LARA thanks the professionals who work pro bono for this not-for-profit organisation. We highly recommend the services of:
Ben Higham, Webhead
Karen Riethmuller, KGR Design
Allan Hughan, Accountant
Peter Kelso, Bartier Perry Lawyers
Contact Us
LAM Australasia Research Alliance
Nevena 0419 185 491
Janet 0411 816 444
PO Box 636 Bondi Junction NSW 1355
Australia
Pulmonary Rehabilitation
The aim of pulmonary rehabilitation is to optimise a patient's quality of life by maintaining maximum levels of function and independence.
Physiotherapist, Annabelle King encourages anyone with LAM to do Pulmonary Rehabilitation. She says it is a very useful tool and treatment, while we wait for the cure!
Pulmonary rehabilitation involves:
- relieving dyspnoea (shortness of breath) by learning relaxed breathing and positioning techniques.
- increasing muscle strength and the endurance of muscles used for breathing and peripheral muscles. eg. arms and legs
- promoting a long term commitment to exercise.
Exercise makes muscles more efficient and strong. Exercising and conditioning muscles also results in a lower oxygen requirement for the same tasks. That is, with exercise training the arms and legs can do more work for the same amount of breathing. Rather than a task's requiring 70-80% effort, the same task can be completed at only 50-60% effort. This can add significantly to quality of life.
The type of exercise can be focused on either predominantly strength training or endurance training. If people find that shortness of breath is their limiting factor, exercise geared towards improving endurance is most helpful. For people who find muscle fatigue to be their limiting factor, strength training is beneficial.
For endurance training people should exercise at around 70-80% of their VO2 max, which can be calculated by their physio or exercise physiologist, or at the level of "moderately breathless" on the Borg Dyspnoea Scale below.
| Severity of disease | Type of training |
|---|---|
| Mild (FEV1 < 60% predicted) | High intensity aerobic with resistance training |
| Moderate (FEV1 40-59% predicted) | Moderate intensity aerobic, with or without weight lifting |
| Severe (FEV1 <40% predicted) | Low intensity, high repetition of large muscles, un-resisted/resisted |
People can be referred to the physiotherapy department in public and some private hospitals. Following a full evaluation, a pulmonary rehabilitation program can be tailored specifically to individual requirements.
Borg Dyspnoea Scale (modified)
This scale asks you to rate the difficulty of your breathing between #0, when breathing causes no difficulty at all, through to #10 when breathing difficulty is extreme. Ask yourself how much difficulty your breathing is causing you before you start to exert yourself.
Level of difficulty of breathing
| 0 | None at all |
| 0.5 | Very, very slight (just noticeable) |
| 1 | Very slight |
| 2 | Slight |
| 3 | Moderate |
| 4 | Somewhat severe |
| 5/6 | Severe |
| 7/8 | Very severe |
| 9 | Extremely severe (almost maximal) |
| 10 | Maximal |
Helpful link: http://www.pulmonaryrehab.com.au