Breathing is often taken for granted, but in the face of the coronavirus outbreak that can infect the respiratory system, online videos of exercises connected to lung function by physiotherapists are proving helpful to stay healthy.
They outline a series of simple but effective techniques that are recommended to help everyone maintain good functional breathing capacity, but all the more anyone suffering from COVID-19, where shortness of breath is a common respiratory symptom.
A similar UK video on breathing techniques in relation to COVID-19 went viral, with author JK Rowling vouching for the exercises and making the controversial claim that they “got rid” of her symptoms.
But physiotherapist Anabel Sciriha, who specialises in respiratory care, says the exercises do not cure the virus. What they can do is alleviate some of the respiratory symptoms by helping to clear mucus and secretions from the lungs.
This is especially so for those already suffering from respiratory conditions – such as severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and emphysema, bronchiectasis and cystic fibrosis – who have been directed to self-isolate during the pandemic because they are considered more vulnerable and at a higher risk of complications from COVID-19.
“If the lungs are already slightly damaged, they have less ability to fight the virus,” says Sciriha, a doctor who ran the pulmonary rehabilitation service at Mater Dei Hospital.
The breathing exercises help strengthen the diaphragm, an important muscle for breathing, while maintaining healthy, functioning lungs. They are, therefore, recommended in every circumstance, but in these coronavirus times, they are even more important, she says.
The videos, in both English and Maltese, are the result of a collaboration that Dr John Xerri de Caro, a physiotherapist and senior lecturer at the Department of Physiotherapy, started with universities worldwide.
The project, Quarantrain, and its website quarantrain.org, was launched by a group of physiotherapy educators and students as an international platform to promote good physical health during these challenging times, with the aim to provide daily online support and information on everyday exercise.
Breathing properly has many benefits, including the full expansion and recruitment of the lung and the alveoli (the air exchange units), an increase in energy, as well as enhancing mental focus and clarity, which is vital for well-being, she continues.
The exercises demonstrated in the video should be done three times each, twice daily, and more if necessary.
How to 'quarantrain' your lungs
Phase one: Breathing control. Find a comfortable seated position, with your shoulders relaxed, your neck supported and your eyes closed. Breathe in gently through your nose and out through your mouth. Continue until ready to move to the next phase.
Phase two: Deep breathing. Keep your chest and shoulders relaxed. Take a long, slow and deep breath in through the nose. Hold the air in your lungs for two to three seconds before exhaling through the mouth gently like a sigh. Do not force the air out. Placing hands on the diaphragm can help engage it and resistance can be added to make the exercise more effective. Placing your hands on the lower portion of the rib cage can help engage the lung as a whole. Repeat three times.
Phase three: Forced expiration. Exhale through an open mouth like a huff. Imagine that you are trying to steam up a mirror. Repeat twice. If you develop the need to cough, do not stop it.
If symptoms develop, the exercise cycles may be repeated up to four times day.