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OBJECTIVE	To examine the effect of incentive spirometry in pulmonary rehabilitation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease ( COPD ) patients and compare its efficacy with inspiratory resistive muscle training ( IMT ) technique .
METHODS	Randomized controlled trial .
METHODS	Thirty patients with COPD , from a general hospital in Mashhad , Iran , were randomly assigned to two study groups .
METHODS	All subjects trained daily in two 15-minute sessions , 4 days a week , for 4 weeks .
METHODS	Respiratory function tests were compared before interventions and at the end of weeks 2 and 4 .
RESULTS	Both techniques improved the mean values of all respiratory function tests ( p. 01 ) .
RESULTS	The IMT technique was more effective to improve MVV and PImax ( p. 05 ) .
RESULTS	PEFR was better improved in the incentive spirometry group ( p. 05 ) .
RESULTS	There was no significant difference for other spirometric parameters between two groups .
CONCLUSIONS	Incentive spirometry can be considered as an effective component for pulmonary rehabilitation in COPD patients .

