Are you stuck in home quarantine due to COVID-19…
By now we all know that this virus attacks our lungs and makes it difficult to breath. so along with medications, masks and social distancing, we need to improve our breathing strength. So I thought to share some simple home exercises to improve your breathing.
But first, understand your lungs –
Lungs are two spongy organs located in both sides of chest cavity. These organs are responsible for breathing.
Left lung is divided into 2 lobes and right lung is divided into 3 lobs. Air enters in to the lungs through your nose and windpipe (trachea). Trachea divides into right and left bronchus which further divides into tree like smaller branches called bronchioles. At the end of bronchioles present small air sacs called alveoli where gases exchange occur in between lungs and blood vessels (oxygen into blood and carbon-di-oxide into alveoli).
Our organs in chest and abdomen are divided by a thin muscle called Diaphragm. Diaphragm is responsible for breathing. It mostly works automatically throughout the day but we consciously too can control it.
Lungs are also connected to lymph nodes which carry and filter out all the bacteria, dead cells and waste products from lungs.
If your immune system is weakened due to age, illness or fatigue, bacteria attack can cause infection of lungs (like pneumonia). This causes inflammation in alveoli causing it to fill with fluids and difficult to get oxygen body needs. This causes systems as difficulty in breathing, fever, chills, cough and sputum production, body ache and weakness, generalized fatigue and headache. Lung infections can turn into serious complications like respiratory failure, bacteremia (bacteria entering blood stream and affecting other organs), etc. Breathing becomes very difficult so that it may need to be done with machine (Ventilators).
Chest physiotherapy includes various techniques use to clear sputum from airways and lungs so that oxygen can reach alveoli and makes it easier to breath.
Breathing exercises to clear chest and lungs from sputum are necessary in prior lung conditions like Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Asthma, Chronic bronchiectasis, etc. Otherwise it may lead recurrent lung infections and scaring of lungs. Antibiotics clears bacteria but they cannot clear lung secretions, for that coughing and special breathing exercises are very important which will help secretions to come up.
Home exercises for clearing chest secretions –
Note – There are many more exercises but these are the basic /simple ones which anyone can perform without any need for supervision. Consult your physician and physiotherapist if you feel any difficulty or discomfort while doing these exercises or to progress in these exercises.
1. Diaphragmatic breathing –
- lie down supine with pillow under neck.
- Deep breathing through nose so that your stomach will push upwards.
- Blow out all the air through mouth through pursed lip so that your stomach comes down at its original position.
- Repeat this 10-15 times throughout the day.
2. Diaphragmatic breathing – sitting -
- Sit with back support
- Deep breathing through nose so that your stomach will push upwards.
- Blow out all the air through mouth through pursed lip so that your stomach comes down at its original position.
- Repeat this 10-15 times per session, do it 3-4 times per day
3. Chest expansion exercise –
a.
- don’t do this if you have back pain.
- sit on chair with back support.
- Bend forward while breathing out through nose and get up bringing both arms up while breathing in through nose. (as shown in image)
- Repeat for 2-3 times per day, do at least 10 repetitions each time.
b.
- sit on chair with back support.
- lift up your arms up and down from front.
- breathing in while going up and breath out while going down.
- Repeat for 2-3 times per day, do 10 repetitions each time.
c.
- sit on chair with back support.
- Keep both hands on same side shoulders (see image) and rotate both elbows clockwise and anti-clockwise.
- Repeat for 2-3 times per day, do 10 repetitions each time.
d.
- sit on chair with back support.
- Keep both arms in front of your eyes and bring them sideways.
- breath in while going on sides and breath out while coming back.
- Repeat for 2-3 times per day, do 10 repetitions each time.
e.
- sit on chair
- Keep both hands on your chest and twist your body.
- Repeat for 2-3 times per day, do 10 repetitions each time.
4. Chest stretch –
a.
- lie down supine with foam roller under thorax (see image).
- Deep breathing through nose and stretch your back on foam roller
- Hold for 5 sec, repeat this 10-15 times throughout the day.
b. Chest stretch -
- Stand with hands on the wall with both elbows straight (see image).
- bend down to stretch your chest muscle as shown in image.
- Hold the position for few sec and repeat 10-15times.
5. Forceful expiration –
6. Postural drainage (Physiotherapist presence needed for this)
a. hand position for percussion
b. Postural drainage positions
7. Spirometry -
- hold spirometer with 1 hand and end of tube with other. Hold the end of tube with your lips (see image).
- blow in through tube and try to lift as many balls up as you can. Try to hold them up.
- remove the tube from your mouth and breathe out through mouth.
- Relax and repeat.
- repeat NOT more than 10 times each session.
8. relaxed breathing position – (see image)
Maintaining correct posture while sitting, standing and sleeping will also helps improve breathing capacity by removing added pressure from chest
Standing -
Sitting -
Sleeping -
Some more advices during (and after) home quarantine,
Eat healthy food and stay hydrated.
Protect your loved once by maintaining proper isolation.
Also after successfully completing quarantine, wear double masks in public spaces.
Wash your hands frequently with soap.
Follow social distancing.
Stay calm and get well soon.
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