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The EMST 150 - How It Works
Learn how to use the EMST 150 effectively to get the best outcomes for your breathing and swallowing functions.
The EMST is known as a pressure threshold trainer. Pressure threshold devices strengthen the specific muscles by overloading them with a specific weight. Think of EMST as a weight machine for your respiratory muscles, just as the skeletal muscle strength is increased by lifting weights in the gym, EMST serves as a similar tool to increase the respiratory strength.
The calibrated pressure levels act as the pin on the weight machine – allowing to progressively overload the respiratory muscles and achieve the best possible respiratory strength based on your circumstances.
The main difference between EMST and other tools available in the market such as the incentive spirometer is that the EMST is a pressure threshold trainer while the other devices available are resistance based trainers. Pressure threshold trainers work best when the goal is to increase respiratory strength and improve swallowing and coughing outcomes as compared to the incentive spirometer. The EMST consists of a one way spring loaded valve which acts as a barrier to overload the muscles with specific pressure levels and increase the respiratory strength whereas the incentive spirometer is only made up of an empty airway passage where the air flows through, therefore providing no overload on the muscles.
The EMST allows to measure and document the progress due to its precisely calibrated pressure levels ranging from 0-150 cm of H2O as compared to the incentive spirometer – which comes with no specific calibration levels, failing to provide an accurate assessment of the progress.
The EMST is the most clinically validated trainer in the market since its inception in 1998, going through 60+ studies and testing globally to be proved effective in a wide range of patient groups and healthy adults while other tools lack as much empirical evidence to be considered effective.
The EMST is a handheld and pocket friendly device as compared to the incentive spirometer, allowing people to exercise on the go even while travelling so you don’t miss a day of training your respiratory muscles!
To refer to the instructions for use for the EMST 150 and EMST 75 Lite, click here.
To refer to the instructions for use for the IA 150 Inspiratory adapter, click here, click here.