Abstract: Objective To explore the effect of simple active respiratory training method on lung function for cervical spinal cord injury. Methods 24 male patients with cervical spinal cord injury were divided into two groups, the control group (n=14) and the treatment group (n=10). 2 groups all received the same rehabilitation training, while the treatment group was added simple active respiratory training method. Lung function was assessed after eight-week intervention. Results 2 groups improved in percentage of expected value of maximum vital capacity (VCmax), forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), peak expiratory flow (PEF), and maximal voluntary ventilation (MVV) 8 weeks after the treatment(P<0.05), while the treatment group was better than the control group(P<0.05). Conclusion Rehabilitation training can improve lung function of the patients with cervical spinal cord injury, and simple active respiratory training method has better effect.

Key words: cervical spinal cord injury, lung function, simple active respiratory training