Regular walking and long-term maintenance of outcomes after pulmonary rehabilitation.

Background: Empirical evidence supports the role of exercise as part of pulmonary rehabilitation in improving symptoms of breathlessness (dyspnea), health-related quality of life, and exercise tolerance among patients with chronic lung disease. However, many studies show that these initial benefits tend to diminish 12 to 18 months after rehabilitation. Given the importance of exercise (ie, walking) during rehabilitation, we examined whether patient adherence to regular walking enhanced the long-term maintenance of functional benefits gained from an 8-week pulmonary rehabilitation program.