Rehabilitation and prevention of cardiorespiratory conditions

Topic of research

The group's research focuses on the assessment of functional and aerobic capacity, as well as the use of physical exercise as a rehabilitation tool for the treatment of patients with cardiorespiratory and metabolic diseases, such as asthma, cystic fibrosis or obesity. 

The use of field tests such as the 6-minute gait test and the incremental shuttle test are examples of evaluation tools with wide clinical applicability. Firstly, we would like to highlight that work has been done evaluating the prognostic role of these tests and their long-term impact on morbidity in patients with cystic fibrosis. Secondly, the use of interactive video games as new health intervention tools also has a prominent position in the recent work carried out by the group. Transversally, the use of the stress test with respiratory gas analysis with the equipment available in the UIC Biomechanical and Physiology of Exercise Lab provides a high-quality standard for our studies.

One example of an active project is the one that aims to generate reference values for the incremental shuttle test for the Spanish population and evaluate its association with the maximum consumption of oxygen in healthy adults.

The main objectives are

1. Evaluate the different uses of field tests as tools for evaluating physical and functional capacity, as well as their prognostic role.
2. Exploring the potential of physical activity as a tool to treat cardiorespiratory and metabolic conditions.
3. Assess respiratory movement during physical exercise in normal and pathological situations, using the movement analysis system of the Biomechanical and Physiology of Exercise Lab.