A cough may be more than just a cough and could indicate the presence of any of several debilitating diseases. Lungs accumulate a lot of secretions as a result of illnesses, making breathing laborious. In the normal course, people inhale bacteria with their breath and pass it through easily, if they are healthy. But in case of illnesses of the lungs, mucus is built up. Bacteria are blocked by mucus and grow in the dark and moist environment of the lungs, causing respiratory diseases.
In such situations, chest physiotherapy, also referred to as physical therapy is applied to treat diseases in the chest, respiratory system or the lungs. A program of exercise and treatments is recommended to the patient in chest physiotherapy, to remove the secretions from lungs and facilitate easy breathing.
Chest physiotherapy increases the intake of oxygen. The choice of the right way out of many to administer physical therapy will depend on the disease or injury of the patient. Normal coughing is not able to clear the lungs of accumulated mucus in some cases. Other illnesses that call for chest physiotherapy include chronic bronchitis, pneumonia, cystic fibrosis, acute atelectasis, muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy, chronic lung disease and progressive muscle weakness.
There are also situations in which chest therapy has been known to make no difference to the patient, e.g. in infants with bronchitis, no relief was seen with chest therapy. Also in the case of patients with an inhaled foreign body, chest physiotherapy may cause more harm than good. People suffering from acute asthma, recent heart attack, respiratory hemorrhage, some type of spinal injuries and head and neck injuries, should avoid chest physiotherapy. Ultimately, a specialist doctor is the right person to recommend physical therapy to a patient.
Chest physical therapy is not always used as the only method to clear the lungs. It could be applied along with a course of antibiotics, to thoroughly empty the lungs of mucus. A patient may be made to cough by patting the back with a cupped hand to trigger movement in the mucus. Some types of herbal scents and aromatherapy preparations can also be applied if acceptable to the patient.
Mucus present in the lungs can also be loosened by using machinery to vibrate the lugs. This is however a method of the last resort, only if everything else fails. The patients are also taught deep breathing techniques to alleviate diseases like asthma and bronchitis. The patient needing relief from breathing problems can also lie down and turn from side to side.
Chest physical therapy is beneficial to patients of any age, whether they are a new born or an old person, provided that no other medical condition prevents it.