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#Post#: 12--------------------------------------------------
What Experts Say About Learning to Breathe Again After COVID
DIR By: LightMove
Date: September 23, 2021, 3:14 am
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From：
HTML https://www.verywellhealth.com/breathing-exercises-post-covid-5192842
Key Takeaways
The lungs are not muscles and cannot be "exercised," but there
are ways to strengthen your lungs' support systems if they have
been weakened by COVID-19.
Many exercises that work the diaphragm and surrounding muscles
can be done at home.
If you had severe COVID-19, you might need to work with a
respiratory therapist to rebuild your lung function safely.
Being able to take a deep breath is something that many of us
take for granted, but like the millions of people who have
survived COVID-19 are finding out, it can be hard to breathe
easy after a severe respiratory infection.
Verywell spoke to experts in lung health about what it may take
for recovered COVID patients to regain respiratory fitness after
having the virus.
Can the Lungs Be Exercised?
MeiLan K. Han, MD, a professor of medicine in the Division of
Pulmonary and Critical Care at the University of Michigan, and
the author of "Breathing Lessons: A Doctor's Guide to Lung
Health," tells Verywell that the amount of lung strength that
COVID patients can recover depends on the severity of their
infection.
One common misconception is that the lungs themselves can be
exercised. In fact, Han says that the lungs are not muscles and
therefore cannot be strengthened.
"The lungs are literally balloons that exchange gas," says Han.
"What allows the lungs to open is the diaphragm, which sits
underneath the lungs. When it contracts, the lungs are pulled
down and they expand and the air rushes in."
In addition to the diaphragm, secondary muscles connected to the
rib cage, as well as those in the shoulders and back, help the
chest cavity expand to allow air into the lungs. In patients
that are extremely ill, those muscles are weakened from lack of
use. Muscle weakness, in turn, can directly affect lung
capacity.
The Problem of Lung Scarring
When patients have COVID-19, they may contract a form of
pneumonia which brings on severe inflammation and lung damage.
In the most extreme cases—where patients have needed to be put
on a ventilator—some have developed acute respiratory distress
syndrome (ARDS). This condition shows up as scarring in the
lungs.1
A pulmonary function test can reveal the extent of lung damage,
but cannot always discriminate between damage that is repairable
versus scar tissue. Han says that there is not much that can be
done to repair scarring.
Also, many doctors are finding blood clots in the lungs of
patients post-COVID, which are typically treated with blood
thinners.
What Can You Do?
For people with significant lung damage, Han says that working
with a respiratory therapist is advisable. After completing the
breathing tests to get a baseline, therapists can start patients
on a series of exercises to build the accessory respiratory
muscles over the course of four to six weeks.
Regardless of the severity of COVID-19 infection, many people
are now looking for ways to lessen the effects of major lung
injuries such as shortness of breath.
During the height of the pandemic, Han points out that many
people started checking their blood oxygen levels with a pulse
oximeter, which can give them an idea of whether it’s safe for
them to start working toward normal health goals again.
"If you really want to double-check, using a pulse oximeter at
home is a great tool," says Han. "If you're in the 95–99% range,
it's fairly safe to assume that you can try to build your
fitness levels back to normal."
Beyond specific exercises, Han suggests people start with
sustained aerobic exercises at a lower intensity, such as
walking or cycling. When those exercises can be completed
without struggle for a few weeks, they can increase the
intensity incrementally until they've reached normal intensity
levels.
Building Lung Strength at Home
Ethel Frese, PT, DPT, and spokesperson for the American Physical
Therapy Association, specializes in cardiovascular and pulmonary
physical therapy.
Frese recommends three exercises that can help you locate and
target the muscles that support lung function. However, Frese
advises working with a physical therapist who will show you how
to properly practice these exercises at home.
Diaphragmatic Breathing Exercises
To begin, locate and focus on your thoracic diaphragm (the large
muscle wall that separates your thoracic cavity from your
abdomen). Strengthening your diaphragm is one of the best ways
that you can support your lung function.
Sniffing
Place your fingers just below your breast bone and sniff several
times. The movement that you feel is your diaphragm working.
Breathe out slowly between each sniff. Progress this exercise by
gradually prolonging the sniff and breathing out slowly through
your mouth between each sniff.
Diaphragm Isolation
Sit in a comfortable position. Place your dominant hand over
your upper abdominal area just below the breast bone. Place your
non-dominant hand on the middle area of your breastbone.
Breathe in through your nose and direct the air so that your
dominant hand rises during inhalation. There should be very
little movement of your non-dominant hand.
Breathe out through your mouth after each breath that you take
in.
Focus on the Lower Ribs
An additional exercise that you can do is to place your hands
over the lower front/side of your rib cage to focus on lower rib
movement on both sides.
Next, move your hands up and to the middle part of your chest to
focus on the muscles there. Keep your shoulders relaxed.
Pursed-Lip Breathing Exercise
Pursed-lip breathing helps slow your breathing and increases the
amount of air that you breathe out, which can help decrease the
feeling of breathlessness.
Breathe in slowly and gently purse your lips while you breathe
out. Do not force the air out.
Try breathing out while holding a tissue in front of your mouth
and have the tissue move slightly to provide a helpful visual.
Start by practicing pursed-lip breathing at rest. Then, progress
to doing pursed-lip breathing while you're standing and doing
activities such as walking.
Inspiratory Muscle Training
The inspiratory muscles are the muscles that the body uses to
take a breath in. These muscles can be trained using inspiratory
muscle strength and endurance training devices.2
These devices help improve both strength and endurance of the
muscles that we use for breathing in. They are usually used for
15 minutes two times a day.
A physical therapist can help you find the best device for you
and show you the correct way to use it.
What This Means For You
Lung health after a severe respiratory infection like COVID-19
can take time to restore. For those with severe infections,
working with a physical or respiratory therapist may help.
If you had a milder infection, targeting the muscles that
support your lungs is a great place to start and these exercises
can be done at home.Your digital breathing coach OPUMP can help
you to effectively complete the breathing training course,
providing a variety of breathing training courses, including
enhancing lung capacity, enhancing lung function, training
breathing rhythm, helping to restore lung damage and breathing
health.
HTML https://theopump.com/
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