Damaged Lung Function

woolwich

Folks,

I am a recent convert to cycling. I have recently lost my driving licence for medical reasons, therefore the bike has become my only form of transport but is fast becoming a passion.
Unfortunatley I spent many years as a smoker and have been left with a persistant but minor wheeze. This has been properly checked out by chest x-ray. Ventolin helps.
The suggested cause from Gp and Nurse specialist is Muscle Atrophy around the lungs. I can find plenty on the risks of this on-line but nothing discussing if I may reverse this with training?
My gut feeling is that I will always have a reduced lung function from damage caused. However I am determined to get the best out of what I have.
So my questions are. Does anyone have experience of this? Either from a personal or medical perspective and can offer some advice?
And what specific training could I do that would target muscles around the lungs? I was wondering if something off-bike like the humble press-up would have some value?

Many thanks.

ut_och_cykla

Don't think pressups will help - but there a thing called Power breathe which might help - only might mind! Anything that uses teh lungs will help really. Swimming used to be a recommended exercise for people with lung problems - the moist air and extra resistance from the water around teh chest perhaps - but perhaps nowadays chlorine would be a problem?

Keith47

I would imagine any form of exercise that induces heavy breathing (oooer!!) and accelerates your heart rate could only be beneficial in the long run. Accept that you will have to start off gently and it will take time but I'm sure you can, at least partially, reverse the damage. There are few activities more effective than cycling to improve lung function and cardiovascular efficiency in my humble opinion.
Good luck and keep up the good work

Chris James

I am asthmatic and find that regular cycling (and, in my case, inhaled steroids!) have improved my breathing dramatically.

I now blow over 800 on a peak flow test, whereas at my worst I was blowing about 300.

I would have thought that exercise would only help your situation, but don't over do it.

Aren't you best asking this question to your GP?

keef66

Pedalling hard up steep hills gets my lungs working like no other form of exercise.

neeb

I can't imagine there is anything much better than energetic cycling for exercising the breathing muscles. You will probably get the best benefit by combining short duration high intensity stuff with long steady stuff, if you are up to it. The easiest way to do that would be to cycle as hard as you are able up short hills and then relax and pedal gently one you are over the top. You will get very out of breath, but so does everyone, and that's what exercises the lung muscles!

If you are not up to this yet, maybe simply walking briskly up stairs would be a good start, and then move on to hills outdoors if there are any near you?

Obviously run all this past your doctor first!

capilinconnemara

A bit of backround 1st
46 and have had a reduced lung function since I had Viral Pneumonia as a 10 year old. I had not idea aout this until another long term medical condition diagnosed in 2004 highlighted it.
I would always have been relatively fit and been active in a number of sports where stamina was imprtant.
Following a lung function test in 04 it was shown I was working on 89%.
Cycling became my chosen sport as it was non-concussion.
To start with like most I would have concentrated on Long Steady Milage and I improved my Lung function over 3 years to 94%
Since I started to be more interested in specific training to ride faster so as to do TTs and club League races along side my Sportives I have brought that up to 98% at best although on average since 07 it would be 96% with 2 tests per year.( have taken my 10ml TT from 32+ mins to 26.42)
This is probably the best I will ever get to. My Doctor has been impressed by the overall improvement and the stability of the Lung Function figures.
So Yes you can Stabalise it and even improve it but it will take time and effort. I would advise start slow and steady. You will know when you up to more ie. push a little harder up hills and throw in intervals.
Hill repeats have been my friend.

Warning. Make sure anything you do is approved by your Doc as we are all different

woolwich

Thanks for all your tips and encouragement.

It's worth putting this type of question to a forum. My Gp's opinion is always more Ventolin or more steroids. Whilst I am confident some improvement must be possible without medical intervention.

Ive been lurking here a while so am familiar with the concept of intervals. A program of short high followed by long low intensity would seem an excellent way of really stretching the chest, whilst being able to monitor myself for overdoing it.
The wheeze is more of an irritant than a disability. The more I can get on top of it the more Iam going to get out of cycling.

Cheers

chrisw12

capilinconnemara wrote:

A bit of backround 1st
46 and have had a reduced lung function since I had Viral Pneumonia as a 10 year old. I had not idea aout this until another long term medical condition diagnosed in 2004 highlighted it.
I would always have been relatively fit and been active in a number of sports where stamina was imprtant.
Following a lung function test in 04 it was shown I was working on 89%.
Cycling became my chosen sport as it was non-concussion.
To start with like most I would have concentrated on Long Steady Milage and I improved my Lung function over 3 years to 94%
Since I started to be more interested in specific training to ride faster so as to do TTs and club League races along side my Sportives I have brought that up to 98% at best although on average since 07 it would be 96% with 2 tests per year.( have taken my 10ml TT from 32+ mins to 26.42)
This is probably the best I will ever get to. My Doctor has been impressed by the overall improvement and the stability of the Lung Function figures.
So Yes you can Stabalise it and even improve it but it will take time and effort. I would advise start slow and steady. You will know when you up to more ie. push a little harder up hills and throw in intervals.
Hill repeats have been my friend.

Warning. Make sure anything you do is approved by your Doc as we are all different

Thanks for posting that. My daughter had Pneumonia when she was a baby which caused a bit of lung damage. I often wondered how she would get on in endurance sports but luckily so far they haven't been her thing, it will be interesting to see if having a part of her lung still damaged will effect her if she does try some sports later on.

FWIW (very litlle) I stupidly rode a timetrial with a collapsed lung (so effectively working on one lung) and although it wasn't my fastest time, it wasn't that bad. It made me think how much of a limiter the lungs are when doing something steady like timetrialing and perhaps the answer is not much, especially as the distance of event goes up.

And the consult your GP comments, not being disrespectful but Ime it's the specialists who know what they are on about with this kind of thing ( stating the obvious). My Gp and the non-specialists in the hospital would have had me wrapped up in cotton wool where as the specialist wanted me back on the bike and exercising.

capilinconnemara

Thanks for posting that. My daughter had Pneumonia when she was a baby which caused a bit of lung damage. I often wondered how she would get on in endurance sports but luckily so far they haven't been her thing, it will be interesting to see if having a part of her lung still damaged will effect her if she does try some sports later on.

FWIW (very litlle) I stupidly rode a timetrial with a collapsed lung (so effectively working on one lung) and although it wasn't my fastest time, it wasn't that bad. It made me think how much of a limiter the lungs are when doing something steady like timetrialing and perhaps the answer is not much, especially as the distance of event goes up.

And the consult your GP comments, not being disrespectful but Ime it's the specialists who know what they are on about with this kind of thing ( stating the obvious). My Gp and the non-specialists in the hospital would have had me wrapped up in cotton wool where as the specialist wanted me back on the bike and exercising.[/quote]

Well as I said it never bothered me as a young one . At 17 I ran 3h.58min for the Marathon.and a 2min 800m. Horses, women and drink got in the way of my running until 2004 when sore joints made me move to the bike when a midlife crisis caused a fitness effort.
Luckly my GPis a relation and a runner of some talent

Paul E

I developed asthma about 5 years ago now (just about to hit 36) I am on seretide full time and ventolin as a releiver and when I am well ie not on steriod tablets and antibiotics my peak flow readings are in the 800 zone.

I baffled the new asthma nurse I saw the first time until I told her I cycled a lot, at my worst I do drop down to about 25% of my lung capacity but that needs a really bad chest infection to take hold to make it drop that much which isn't much fun.

Cycling does help a lot but only when I am well and during the summer months I don't even have to use my ventolin much at all in the winter I do but that's due to more bugs being about and the cold air.

I am currently on a course of tablets which is very annoying as I just want to get back out on it but I know it would hamper any recovery.

Someone mentioned a power breath, they do work, they work on the exhalation muscles and i did feel a benefit but only used it when I was well, I really need to start using it again.

SteveR_100Milers

I am an ex smoker, gave up in 2003, and started cycling again in 06 competitively. I have an occasional slight wheeze, feels like a pump is continuing to exhale air after my muscles stop doing it. Feels odd more than anything, and never have a problem with normal breathing, and have never had any medical examination related to it. I regularly smash myself and no side effects to report (other than lack of speed). I regret hugely that period in my life when i did smoke, and can only guess what I might be capable of if I hadnt