"Breathing games significantly increases patients' motivation to carry out breathing exercises, which enables for more efficient rehabilitation and thus shortens the duration of stay." - Dr. Pohar, Maternity Hospital.

Pursed Lip Breathing

Pursesed Lip Breathing is used to restore proper breathing mechanics, to improve lumbopelvic stability, enhance motor control, decrease pain, and improve overall patient outcomes.

Efficacy

The technique provides:

• resistance on expiration
• increased lung volumes
• secretion mobilization

Contraindications

Diabetes

If you suffer from diabetes and use insulin or other blood glucose-lowering medication, the pursed lip breathing exercise can increase your sensitivity to medication. This can make your blood glucose level lower than usual. You may suffer then from hypoglycemic shock, which is much more dangerous than high blood sugar. You should have a small snack immediately after the breathing session.

Depression

Breathing with longer exhalations triggers the parasympathetic nervous system, the rest-and-digest response. If you suffer from depression, this can further aggravate it as you tend to predominantly activate your parasympathetic; Putting the body in a state of relaxation but increasing a lack of motivation.

Severe Personality Disorders

Personality disorders, psychopathic disorders, severe forms of depression, mania, obsessive-compulsive disorder and delirium. In these disorders the patient is more likely to interpret a breathing exercise in the context of his/her personality disorder in which the therapist no longer has sufficient control over the therapy's effect.

Age

Kids under 7 years should use the product in assistance with their parents or caregivers.

Psychoactive Substances

Opioids, benzodiazepines and caffeine may decrease the effectiveness of therapy.

Side Effects

• Dehydration
• Dizziness

Practicing pursed lip breathing expels air that was previously trapped in the lungs. This air is saturated with water and CO2 resulting in dehydration. Thus the patient is required to drink some water after the exercise.

In elderly patients a short-term dizziness is possible therefore after exercise the patient should rest for a while.

Guidelines

Patients should play breathing games several times thorough the day until they feel tired.

Warnings

• Supply patients with extra drinking water
• Before and after use, clean headset with dry tissue
• Store the headset in a clean and dry environment

Did you know? Even though the evolution of bipedal gait has reduced the mechanical constraints on respiration in humans, thereby permitting greater flexibility in breathing pattern; it has seemingly not eliminated the need for the synchronization of respiration and body motion during sustained running. Flying birds have independently achieved phase-locked locomotor and respiratory cycles. This hints that strict locomotor-respiratory coupling may be a vital factor in the sustained aerobic exercise of endothermic vertebrates, especially those in which the stresses of locomotion tend to deform the thoracic complex.

References