Chest Physical Therapy Health Article

Definition

Chest physical therapy (CPT) is the term for a group of treatments designed to improve respiratory efficiency, promote expansion of the lungs, strengthen respiratory muscles, and eliminate secretions from the respiratory system.

Purpose

The purpose of chest physical therapy, also called chest physiotherapy, is to help patients breathe more freely and to get more oxygen into the body.

Chest physical therapy includes postural drainage, chest percussion, chest vibration, turning, breathing exercises, coughing, and incentive spirometry. CPT is usually done in conjunction with other treatments to rid the airways of secretions. These other treatments include suctioning, nebulizer treatments, and the administration of expectorant drugs.

Chest physical therapy can be used with newborns, infants, children, and adults. People who benefit from chest physical therapy exhibit a wide range of problems that make it difficult to clear secretions from their lungs.

Patients who may receive chest physical therapy include those with cystic fibrosis, neuromuscular diseases (such as Guillain-Barré syndrome), progressive muscle weakness (such as myasthenia gravis), or tetanus. People with lung diseases such as pneumonia, bronchitis, and some forms of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), including chronic bronchitis, also benefit from chest physical therapy. CPT should not be used in the treatment of patients diagnosed with asthma.

People without specific lung problems but who are likely to aspirate their mucous secretions because of diseases such as cerebral palsy or muscular dystrophy also receive chest physical therapy, as do those who are bedridden or confined to a wheelchair. In addition, CPT may be part of treatment after surgery for patients who develop difficulty taking deep breaths.

Precautions

While the doctor ultimately determines which type of therapy can be performed, health care professionals know that not all forms of chest physical therapy are appropriate for all patients. Postural drainage and percussion should not be administered to patients who:

• have just eaten or are vomiting
• have acute asthma or tuberculosis
• have brittle bones or broken ribs
• are bleeding from the lungs or are coughing up blood
• are experiencing intense pain
• have increased pressure in the skull
• have head or neck injuries
• have collapsed lungs or a damaged chest wall
• recently experienced a heart attack
• have a pulmonary embolism or lung abscess
• have an active hemorrhage
• have injuries to the spine
• have open wounds or burns
• have had recent surgery