01/08/2024
What is Respiratory physiotherapy? 🫁
Most people know what physiotherapy is, but few have heard of respiratory physiotherapy. In its simplest terms it is physiotherapy for all things lungs and heart. Respiratory physiotherapists are medically trained and licenced practitioners who work with people with a variety of cardiorespiratory conditions.
Many people would have experienced working with a respiratory physiotherapist in hospital after major surgery, a stay in intensive care (ICU) or a severe chest infection, as they play a significant role in hospital rehabilitation and recovery. Some may have even been treated outside of the hospital, for conditions such as repeated chest infections, asthma and chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD) to help improve quality of life.
Many respiratory physiotherapists in outpatient setting offer services which include lung (pulmonary) rehabilitation, cardiac rehabilitation, and treatments to overcome chronic cough and excess mucus trapped in the lungs.
Most people are not aware of the important role that respiratory physiotherapists can play, helping people overcome breathing challenges associated with and connected to anxiety and panic, and many who complain that ‘I can’t get enough air’ – these are known as breathing pattern disorders. Respiratory physiotherapy also plays a key role in helping athletes enhance their performance through strengthening the breathing muscles.
How we breathe is so vital to how we live, yet it is so often ignored and taken for granted. It’s the first thing we do and it is the last thing we do but the quality of our breathing between those two moments determines the quality of our life. When you find it difficult to breathe nothing else matters. A respiratory physiotherapist can help you restore healthy breathing patterns, relieve shortness of breath and assist you in building a foundation for optimal health and wellbeing.
The Rehab Collective
🛜 www.therehabcollective.co.za
📞 +27 (64) 538-6735
📧 info@therehabcollective.co.za
