Voluntary Peak Cough Strength

The pilot study by Srp et al. (2021) proved that the SpiroGym app was feasible for supporting expiratory muscle strength training (EMST) in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients. Two weeks of intensive EMST coupled with SpiroGym were sufficient to significantly improve the participants' voluntary peak cough flow (PCF). The improvement was quantitatively comparable to the results of other intensive EMST studies with longer durations. When interpreting such rapid improvement, the impact of SpiroGym's visual feedback was considered. It was assumed that visual feedback increased training effort compared to regular training without immediate control. However, comparative studies were required to verify the possible additional effects of visual feedback on voluntary PCF compared to EMST without feedback.