Dance for people with chronic breathlessness: a transdisciplinary approach to intervention development (Harrison et al, 2020)

Exercise is recommended for everyone with chronic breathlessness. For all of us, not just those with breathlessness, finding a type of exercise that is enjoyable is key to making it a regular part of life. The typical pulmonary rehabilitation course is a gym-style programme which doesn’t suit everyone and drop-out rates can be high.

This pilot study – a collaboration between the Life of Breath team, physiotherapist Dr Samantha Harrison, choreographer Sian Williams, instructor Victoria McFaull and participants from Breathe Easy Darlington – explored whether dance might offer a valuable alternative form of exercise. The results are promising. Not only did participants improve their fitness, perhaps more importantly they had fun and enjoyed the social side of the class making them more motivated to continue.

You can read the full article here:

Harrison S, Bierski K, Burn N, et al Dance for people with chronic breathlessness: a transdisciplinary approach to intervention developmentBMJ Open Respiratory Research 2020;7:e000696. doi: 10.1136/bmjresp-2020-000696

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To try the dances at home check out these videos presented by Sian Williams and featuring Breathe Easy Haringey.