Cardiopulmonary (Chest) Physiotherapy

Physiotherapists are trained to treat the respiratory system. We will use our assessment skills (including looking very sophisticated with our stethoscopes) to listen to your lungs and determine the areas of your airways/lungs not working effectively. We are then able to prescribe treatment to help your respiratory function.

Chest Physiotherapy is useful to remove airway secretions, improve lung ventilation, improve breathing efficiency, improve exercise tolerance and prevent secondary complications arising from inactivity post immobilisation. 

Techniques employed by physiotherapists to achieve these aims include:

• postural drainage to mobilise secretions to an area of the airways that they are more easily removed
• incentive spirometry for better lung ventilation
• basal breathing techniques
• breathing cycles to ventilate the lungs and mobilise secretions
• manual therapy techniques to percuss or vibrate secretions to be expelled

Better still, we will help educate you and/or your carer to provide similar management at home when it is appropriate.