Breathing exercises for COVID-19
COVID-19 is a systemic disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The infection primarily affects the lungs but can also affect other organs. Lung damage can be so significant that it leads to impaired and sometimes completely destroyed lung function.
Besides ventilators and the necessary medicines, without which most patients would lose the fight for their lives, there are also breathing exercises. Comprehensive care and nursing make recovery possible. We should not fail to mention here that the vaccine against COVID-19 will provide the key and final benefit: preventing the spread of COVID-19 infection.
Besides respiratory techniques, breathing exercises and techniques also use changes in body position. Changing position is necessary to establish natural drainage positions, prevent pressure sores and reduce the increased tendency of the blood to clot. Monitoring the patient with a pulse oximeter has proved excellent; such pulse oximeters are now also commercially available for home use. A fall in oxygenation is one of the essential parameters to monitor.
Breathing exercises include exercises for the diaphragm and the intercostal muscles, but also for other accessory muscles of the neck and upper chest – the sternocleidomastoid muscle, the scalene muscles and many others. The side-lying position helps the lungs, their lobes and lobules drain effectively, aided by specific techniques of massage, vibration and percussion (French tapotement); this is followed by the prone position, i.e. lying on the abdomen or chest, face down. This position is demanding and very difficult to carry out in seriously ill patients on a ventilator, because visual monitoring and rapid medical intervention are not possible. Using pillows and props makes these breathing techniques easier and eases the demanding treatment of the patient.
Self-help for COVID-19 (breathing exercises)
Respiratory training and general conditioning go beyond the general recommendations of moderate activity and exercise as far as your state of health allows; here, even minimal progress sometimes means a lot. A number of physiatric principles include breathing exercises to stimulate lung function, improve ventilation and prevent the build-up of secretions in patients who have difficulty breathing. In a number of lung diseases the cough reflex is not adequate to bring up secretions. Exercises with props such as balloons, floss bands or other soft elastic bands are a useful aid to the techniques used at Faktor Zdravlje Polyclinic. A dry, irritating cough or a wet, productive cough disturbs sleep and breathing and makes speaking and communication difficult.
Basic breathing exercises should be used from the very beginning of the illness. As COVID-19 progresses, advanced breathing techniques and exercises adapted to the patient's condition will be used. If the clinical condition worsens, early recognition and early intervention in respiratory insufficiency allow a better outcome of COVID-19. Contact the specialists in physical and rehabilitation medicine at Faktor Zdravlje Polyclinic.
