Pulmonary Rehabilitation

You may be recommended to a pulmonary rehabilitation program by a doctor to help you breathe more easily if you have a lung disease like asthma, COPD, cystic fibrosis, or pulmonary hypertension. It can also improve life for patients with scoliosis or other health disorders that affect the functioning of the lungs. You might also be recommended a pulmonary rehabilitation program before or after surgery for a pulmonary disorder.

A pulmonary rehabilitation program can help you in regaining your strength while suffering from an illness, reduce the symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression, and make it easier for you to perform normal activities of daily life and social engagements.

To prepare a tailored pulmonary rehabilitation program for you, the healthcare team may perform one of the following investigations:

• Exercise stress test
  It is done to measure your blood oxygen levels, blood pressure, and heart rate while performing the exercise.
• Breathing tests
  These are done to check how well your lungs are functioning. For example, you may be asked to walk for six minutes to see how far you can walk in those six minutes.

The pulmonary rehabilitation program includes training and education plans like:

• Breathing techniques
  You will be taught certain breathing techniques like yoga breathing, pursed lip breathing, or breathing with computer-aided feedback that will help you gain better control of your breathing and avoid breathlessness, especially in times of physical activity or under stress.
• Education
  You can ask questions about your lung condition in sessions which will be either held individually or in groups. You will also be provided with guidance on how to manage these conditions.
• Psychological counselling
  People with chronic lung diseases may experience anxiety, depression, or other emotional disorders. Stress management training can be offered either individually or in the form of support groups as a part of the program.
• Exercise training
  The aim of exercise training is to strengthen the muscles of your arms, back, legs, and even breathing muscles. With regular exercises, your stamina and flexibility will increase, and you will find doing regular tasks much easier.
• Nutritional counselling
  You will be counselled about what foods to eat and what are the ways to prepare them so that you feel your best. This will help ensure that you receive the right nutrients in the right quantities. You might even be recommended a weight loss plan by a dietician if you are obese or if losing weight will benefit your condition.

Usually, a pulmonary rehab program lasts for several weeks or even months, with two or three sessions weekly. When the program reaches the end, you will be given certain investigations by your healthcare team to check if your lung condition has improved. Most of these tests will be the same as the ones prescribed at the commencement of the program. The test results before and after the program will be compared to find out if it has been successful.