Respiratory Physio and how it can help.

By Graceville Physio Meg McGrath

Respiratory physiotherapy is a relatively unknown area of physio, but not a new one. It has its roots in hospital physio, where physiotherapists traditionally would help with patients who were unable to maintain their own airways, or able to clear phlegm from their chests.

As respiratory physio has evolved, it has come to encompass the wider realm of respiratory conditions, and the treatments have become more refined and varied to suit the different needs of different patients.

Respiratory conditions are pathological conditions that affect the lungs or other parts of the respiratory tract. There are many different types of respiratory conditions that are present in all different types of people, ranging from acute conditions like the common cold, to more chronic ones, the two most common of which are asthma and COPD. And of course, COVID-19 which is a good example of an acute condition that can cause long term deficits.

Often times, with conditions like these, patients have trouble with airway clearance, which is when you have a feeling that your airway or lungs are congested by phlegm and you can’t cough it up.

This is where respiratory physiotherapy can be helpful. A respiratory physiotherapist can aid you in developing a self-management strategy to help with airway clearance. Physio can also be helpful in developing an exercise program that can help long term with shortness of breath, and general fitness, which is often affected in respiratory conditions.

If you are currently experiencing respiratory symptoms, contact the clinic today to book an appointment with one of our physiotherapists who treat respiratory conditions!