Yes, respiratory muscle strength training has been studied since the late 1970s. Leith and Bradley conducted initial research. Others followed with research into the use of respiratory muscle strength training programs for athletes and patients with spinal cord injuries, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and neurodegenerative disorders. The EMST150™ research team started investigating how patients with limited glottal airway spaces could benefit from respiratory devices. From there, we shifted our focus to other patients with muscle weakness, including those with multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injuries, and other conditions. Our latest research has focused on patients with Parkinson’s disease. The EMST150™ was used in one of the largest randomized clinical trials of behavioral swallowing treatment in Parkinson’s patients. Researchers found that a third of the volunteers who participated improved their ability to swallow, and the findings were published in the 2010 issue of the Neurology Journal (Troche et al., 2010).
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