OBJECTIVE: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the third leading cause of death, causes pulmonary and extra-pulmonary symptoms, and also impacts the quality of life. Rigorous evidence on manual and mechanical chest physiotherapy is still scarce. Therefore, this review aims to evaluate the effects of different exercise therapies on obstruction, dyspnea, and quality of life in COPD patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed a systematic review of randomized controlled trials published from 2011 to 2020 to evaluate the effects of exercise therapies on obstruction, dyspnea, and quality of life in obstructive patients. Databases such as Medline, BioMed Central, CINHAL, and Cochrane were reviewed. Methodological quality and risk of bias were assessed using the Cochrane tool. RESULTS: Most of the trials supported the effectiveness of mechanical chest physiotherapy in improving obstruction, dyspnea, and quality of life. CONCLUSIONS: High-to-moderate evidence shows that mechanical chest physiotherapy is useful in the improvement of obstruction, dyspnea, and quality of life in COPD patients.

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