#LungRehabilitation
We all are facing a huge outbreak of covid-19 worldwide and fighting it too. As we all know that covid 19 is a rapidly spreading airway disease that compromises the capacity of the lung to function properly. No matter how milder or severe the disease you’ve contracted your lungs would need time and help in healing post covid. Let’s see how could we help in our lung’s recovery.
For lung rehabilitation we have to work on body, lungs and Mental health together to recover.
Lung Rehabilitation:
Table of Contents
- Full-body cardio workout
- Breathing exercises
- Spirometer
- Regular steam inhalation/ nebulization/ inhalers
Caution for people who have:
- Active infection/ fever
- Shortness of breath/ difficulty in breathing
- Chest pain/ palpitations
- Irregular heartbeat/ excessive fatigue/ swelling in legs
Contraindications:
- Stable/ unstable Angina
- Left ventricular disease
- Acute exacerbation of lung disease
Full-Body Cardio Workout
Our aim is to:
[Tweet “Start slow and build your strength steadily.”]
Post covid weakness is very common so don’t be disheartened if you could not walk or run immediately take it slow and start with walking. As the strength builds you could switch over to:
- Running
- Cycling
- Aerobics
- Yoga
- Swimming
All of these activities build your body strength and stamina and helps in the healing of your respiratory system.
Breathing exercise
Breathing exercises are essential for increasing lung capacity. Your lungs have endured injury so to regain their previous strength breathing exercises are a must.
Deep Breath through nose:
Breathing through the nose initiates diaphragmatic breathing which in turn helps in diaphragm strengthening. It relaxes our nervous system and helps in relieving anxiety too.
This should be done in 4 phases:
- Lying down on the back with legs bend
- Lying down in a prone position (on your stomach)
- Sitting with a straight back
- Standing
Laughter therapy
Laughter is a great therapy since while laughing you take deep inspiration and have deep expirations. It helps in lung recovery.
Yawn to smile
It’s an exercise that expands your chest & diaphragm and encourages deep inspiration while strengthening your shoulders and arms
- Sit upright on a chair or edge of the bed
- outstretch your arms in a deep yawn
- bring down the arms and end the yawn with a smile, hold a smile for 3 seconds
- repeat for a minute
Humming/ Singing
it’s a really good way to increase the lung capacity since singing requires breath holding deep inspirations and expirations so it’s a complete exercise in its own sense and you’ll enjoy it too.
Spirometer
A spirometer is an amazing tool that helps in lung recovery it has 3 chambers with a ball in it and with deep inspiration and expirations you’ve to lift the balls in the chambers. It helps in lung recovery and strengthening by building your lung volume. It’s a very convenient and cheap tool and could be kept at home for easy access.
Regular steam inhalation/ nebulization/ inhaler
These all have a great role in improving your respiratory system. They deliver medicine/ oxygen/ humidity to the terminal alveoli so that the retained secretion/ mucous could be mobilized and coughed out. They open up spaces of the lungs and helps a person breathe better.
Medicines could do their bit but you should do your part too:
Quit Smoking
Since these are difficult times and the health care systems are overburdened so we should do our own bit in healing our body and help the nation.
Last but not the least:
- Sanitize your hands
- Wear Masks
- Maintain social distancing
- Get Vaccinated (also read Myths & Reality: COVID Vaccine)
Prevention is always better than Cure.
Be Healthy, Be Happy
References:
- https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/coronavirus/coronavirus-recovery-breathing-exercises
- https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/health-news/coronavirus-tips-to-improve-lung-health-and-combat-breathlessness-after-recovering-from-covid-19/photostory/79798150.cms?picid=79798270
- Images Courtesy Google
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