Therapeutic resistance and aerobic training on chest wall kinematics in older adults with and without respiratory impairment. (Advert ref: RDF18/SER/BARRY)

Public health recommendations state older individuals should accumulate at least 150 min/week of ambulation in bouts ≥10 min at moderate intensity in adults over 65 years, however despite these guidelines, on average only 10% of the ageing population adhere to these.

A significant fraction of elderly people have thoracic abnormalities (chest wall deformities). These abnormalities reduce thoracic cage size which in turn restrict lung capacity. Upon physical exertion, restrictive lung disorders adversely impact on breathing pattern, thereby intensifying breathlessness. In addition, restriction of the thoracic cavity have adverse effects on central hemodynamic regulation, thereby limiting the available blood flow to locomotor muscles, further compromising activities of daily living. Being in a deconditioned state can have physical and psychological implications for an ageing population and increase levels of sedentary behaviour due to lack of motivation to exercise or physical deconditioning. This is a current issue within the ageing phenotype, which needs to be dramatically changed in order to give people a better quality of life as they get older.

Improving posture and chest wall configuration via strengthening exercises of the thoracic muscles would be anticipated to improve breathing and central hemodynamic responses during activities of daily living. The impact of different modalities of upper body physical conditioning on breathing pattern and central hemodynamic regulation in elderly with thoracic cage abnormalities still remains to be fully investigated.

With the use of a mixture of resistance training and aerobic (circuit training, exergaming exercises with dynamic movements). The project aims to assess healthy older adults and frail older adults who have respiratory impairment to test the response to the effects of different upper body training modalities by employing state-of-the-art technology such as Optoelectronic Plethysmography (OEP) and impedance cardiography (IC).

Eligibility and How to Apply
Please note eligibility requirement:
• Academic excellence of the proposed student i.e. 2:1 (or equivalent GPA from non-UK universities [preference for 1st class honours]); or a Masters (preference for Merit or above); or APEL evidence of substantial practitioner achievement.
• Appropriate IELTS score, if required.

For further details of how to apply, entry requirements and the application form, see
https://www.northumbria.ac.uk/research/postgraduate-research-degrees/how-to-apply/

Please note: Applications that do not include a research proposal of approximately 1,000 words (not a copy of the advert), or that do not include the advert reference (e.g. RDF18/…) will not be considered.

Deadline for applications: 28 January 2018
Start Date: 1 October 2018

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