Long COVID: Will controlled breathing exercises help with my Long COVID related breathing problems
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 3 янв 2025
- Article: www.archives-p...
General Resources Link: drive.google.c...
Experiences of Individuals Living with Long COVID
Video 1
• Experiences of Individ...
Video 2
• Experiences of Individ...
Interview with an expert:
• COVID-19 Update: Long ...
PDF of Transcripts, Links & References for this Playlist: bit.ly/LongCOV...
TRANSCRIPT
There is some evidence suggesting that specific therapeutic controlled breathing exercises may help you manage and potentially recover from your Long-COVID-related breathing problems.1,2 However, you should always begin on your own first with milder, gentler practices, such as the visualization activity described above, that focus more on restoring an organic breathing coordination.3,4 This is especially the case if during your COVID-19 illness you were hospitalized, and in particular if you had any time in an intensive care unit. During your hospitalization and the first severe period of your COVID-19 illness, you may have worked with a respiratory therapist to do some more effortful breathing practices. Now that you are experiencing Long-COVID-related breathing problems, these types of exercises may no longer be suggested, or should only be done under the supervision of a therapist.2,5,6 In particular, so-called “diaphragmatic breathing” exercises are not recommended based on studies for respiratory conditions such as COPD which are being used as a model for Long COVID therapies.1,2,6
There are many online videos that suggest a wide variety of controlled breathing practices that focus on counting during your inhale and/or counting during your exhale, or some that ask you to hold your breath for certain amounts of time. These are generally designed for people with healthy lungs, so while living with Long COVID you should be cautious before attempting these. You are living now with a different, and still poorly understood, condition that is different from how you were when originally ill with COVID-19, and especially different from your condition prior to your illness. You may have experienced damage to some of your organs and tissues due to inflammation related to your original illness. Doing more vigorous types of breathing practices may increase inflammation or be stressful to your COVID-19-affected lung tissue.
The simplest way to restore an organic breathing coordination and calm yourself in general is to focus on your exhales rather than doing any “deep breathing” practices that focus more on forced inhales. Exhales are the “resting” phase of breathing, and therefore they can calm down your autonomic nervous system. They get rid of your carbon dioxide laden stale air. If you focus on your exhales, at the end of your exhale you may notice a sort of pause. Soon, though, your brain will trigger your next inhalation and fresh oxygen gas molecules will rush into your lungs without any effort on your part. This is the working part, or “excitation” part, of your breathing cycle. In this way you can have a very useful cycle of rest and excitation all day long. 3,4
For background on breathing coordination, go to this link:4
www.jessicawol...
REFERENCES
1. del Corral, T., Fabero-Garrido, R., Plaza-Manzano, G., Fernández-de-Las-Peñas, C., Navarro-Santana, M., & López-de-Uralde-Villanueva, I. (2023). Home-based respiratory muscle training on quality of life and exercise tolerance in long-term post-COVID-19: Randomized controlled trial. Annals of physical and rehabilitation medicine, 66(1), 101709.
2. Bott J, Blumenthal S, Buxton M, et al. Guidelines for the physiotherapy management of the adult, medical, spontaneously breathing patient Thorax 2009;64:i1-i52.
3. Wolf, J., Lader J. (2008). Alexander-Based Vocal Therapy: With a Little Help from Carl Stough. From Exercises for Voice Therapy. Edited by Alison Behrman and John Haskell. Plural Pub. Indiana University. ISBN 1597562319, 9781597562317. bit.ly/ArtOfBr...
4. Jessica Wolf’s Art of Breathing: Rib Animation (in English, Spanish, Chinese, and German). www.jessicawol.... Retrieved June 19, 2023.
5. Kader, M., Hossain, M. A., Reddy, V., Perera, N. K. P., & Rashid, M. (2022). Effects of short-term breathing exercises on respiratory recovery in patients with COVID-19: a quasi-experimental study. BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation, 14(1), 60.
6. del Corral, T., Fabero-Garrido, R., Plaza-Manzano, G., Fernández-de-las-Peñas, C., Navarro-Santana, M. J., & López-de-Uralde-Villanueva, I. (2023). Minimal Clinically Important Differences in Inspiratory Muscle Function Variables after a Respiratory Muscle Training Programme in Individuals with Long-Term Post-COVID-19 Symptoms. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 12(7), 2720. MDPI AG.