What is Cardiopulmonary Physical Therapy?
Cardiopulmonary Physical Therapy is a form of rehabilitation for patients who have been diagnosed with heart and lung diseases.
The goal of Cardiopulmonary physical therapy is to improve the patient’s quality of life by reducing the frequency and severity of symptoms. The treatment involves exercise, breathing techniques, and other techniques that help the patient manage their condition.
A Cardiopulmonary physical therapist is a specialist in the field of physical therapy who focuses on the treatment and prevention of heart and lung diseases by providing therapeutic exercise, education, and other interventions to improve the quality of life for patients.
When should you see a Cardiopulmonary Physical Therapist?
You should see a Cardiopulmonary physical therapist if you are facing respiratory problems such as breathlessness, decreased stamina or difficulty coughing out phlegm. These respiratory symptoms are usually experienced by patients with lung conditions such as asthma, Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), Restrictive lung disease or a recent COVID-19 infection.
You should also see one if you are returning to exercise after a heart attack, a heart surgery or have a heart condition such as heart failure (CHF) and pulmonary hypertension. International evidence strongly recommends patients with heart conditions to exercise to maintain the health of your heart muscles and vessels to prevent another heart attack. Exercise also helps to improve your stamina and reduce the breathlessness and pain you may feel after a heart surgery. Most importantly, you will learn the precautions to take so that you can return to exercise confidently.
Cardiopulmonary physical therapists use a variety of techniques, some of them including:
- Breathing strategies to use the right muscles for breathing and reduce breathlessness
- Exercises to improve the flexibility of muscles around your chest and ribs to allow you to take a bigger breath
- Personalised exercise programmes to increase endurance and strength, and improve ability to breathe
- Strategies to improve cough and reduce phlegm
- Manual therapy strategies to reduce pain after surgery
- Manual therapy strategies to increase mobility of the thorax and strengthen the muscles that control breathing.
A Cardiopulmonary physical therapist can also help you adopt a healthy lifestyle, which includes diet and exercise, as well as advice on how to decrease and avoid risk factors for chronic illness or early death. Improving heart function through exercise is one way of decreasing the risk factors for both heart disease and stroke.
If you have not exercised in a long time, it is advisable to seek professional advice when transiting back to exercise to ensure that your exercise is safe for your heart and lungs and to minimise injuries.
What are the benefits of Cardiopulmonary Physical Therapy
There are many benefits of Cardiopulmonary physical therapy, some of them include:
- Help to reduce pain post heart or lung surgery and recover faster
- Improve lung function and stamina
- Reduce risk of chest infection by preventing accumulation of phlegm in the lungs
- Helps to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease
- Help alleviate chest pain caused by heart problems or lung problems.
How to prepare for your first physiotherapy visit
It can be hard to imagine what it is like to visit the physiotherapist’s clinic for the first time. It is a big step, but it’s worth it. There are many different things you can do in order to prepare for your first visit.
- Try to identify what your goal is for the physiotherapy session. This will help you stay focused during the session and make sure that you are getting what you want out of it.
- Research potential physiotherapists in advance and find out which ones offer a type of therapy that best suits your needs. Not all physiotherapists are the same.
- Consider bringing a list of questions with you so that you have a better idea of what topics you want to discuss with the physiotherapist during your visit.
- Dress in comfortable attire with covered shoes
Conclusion: The importance of Cardiopulmonary Physical Therapy and why
In conclusion, Cardiopulmonary physical therapy is important because it can help reduce symptoms of breathlessness, decrease pain, improve fitness and quality of life in people with heart and lung conditions. International evidence has shown that cardiopulmonary rehabilitation plays a strong role in reducing hospitalisation, chest infections and risk of another heart attack. People who need to recover after a heart attack or surgery stand to benefit from physical therapy to restore confidence to return to safe exercise.