There are many types of therapies available to choose from that are all designed to comfort and heal the body from a large range of ailments and injuries. One of these therapies is known as chest physiotherapy. The following will provide an in-depth look at what chest physiotherapy is and the benefits of receiving this type of therapy.
What is Chest Physiotherapy?
In essence, chest physiotherapy is a type of treatment administered to patients as a means of 
improving their breathing. This is done primarily by removing the buildup of mucus within the lungs, while the procedure is performed specifically by respiratory therapists and physiotherapists. An excess of mucus within the lungs causes difficulties to a persons breathing due to the fact that the mucus is blocking attempts for air to move uninhibited through a persons lungs. If mucus stays within a persons lungs for a lengthy period of time without being properly treated, not only will it create breathing problems for the patient, it will also lead to an influx of germs and bacteria that could cause many other health conditions. Chest physiotherapy is a procedure that loosens the buildup of mucus, therefore allowing the patient to properly cough it out.
Conditions That Require Chest Physiotherapy
While coughing can typically remove the mucus from a persons throat and lungs, there are certain conditions that cause such a buildup of mucus that only chest physiotherapy will work in removing the mucus from a persons system. Some of these conditions and diseases include Chronic Bronchitis, Lung Abscess, Bronchiectasis, Cystic Fibrosis, chest congestion and certain types of Neuromuscular diseases.
Benefits Associated With Chest Physiotherapy
There are a wealth of benefits that you can receive from chest physiotherapy, including everything from improvements in the exchanges of carbon dioxide and oxygen to an increase in the amount of mucus that is secreted from the lungs. A few of the other, tangible benefits include improvements in a persons respiratory and cardiac health, the understanding of how to utilize proper breathing patterns, which can reduce anxiety and stress and the ability to properly manage shortness of breath if it ever occurs. Chest physiotherapy will also teach patients how to implement small treatments themselves, which will drastically reduce the times that a person needs to be administered into the hospital.
Chest Physiotherapy Procedure
There are many different techniques that can be used within the chest physiotherapy procedure, including breathing exercises and the implementation of an exercise program. A few of the other techniques include resistance training, percussion, postural drainage and exercises having to do with chest mobility. All of these are designed to loosen the mucus within the lungs.
