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Why consult with respiratory kinesitherapy
Does your baby have difficulty breathing, suffers from congested respiratory tract; the lungs seem crowded?
The symptoms observed consist of crunches called rhonchi when your child breathes. These sounds may be accompanied by a wheezing and signify a respiratory congestion. These sounds are clearly audible by putting your ear to the chest or back. In the case of broncho-pulmonary congestion, the health system will effectively respond to the problem by working to ensure a good stability of vital signs of the child (controlled breathing freely by ingestion of anti-inflammatories and a bronchodilator…an antibiotherapy can also be prescribed).
With our approach, we suggest going further, yet remaining complementary: in fact, testing has shown that respiratory kinesitherapy decluttering of bronchial frees the respiratory system of the bronchial secretions that maintains inflammation and the discomfort of the child.
What are the techniques used
First step
Make sure that the superior airways are free…meaning the nasal passages.
In fact, children under three months, breathe only by the nose, and thus all prolonged nasal obstructions may bring on a major respiratory distress. After three months and until the age of ten years old, the risk remains even if it is lower. Therefore an importance is given to assuring yourself that the parents are correctly mastering the way to blowing of the nose for baby.
Second stepA precise evaluation of the congestion will be done by auscultation with a stethoscope. This allows for more precision to the level of congestion and the severity. Clinical observation evaluates the stability of the vital signs of the child which will permit a diagnosis whether to treat or refer to a doctor or a hospital if respiratory failure is detected.
Third step
If the child is stable and can be treated, we then will proceed to gentle maneuvers that will help to clear the broncho-pulmonary system. It is the Increase of Expiratory Flow.
More efficient and less traumatic than classic clapping, the maneuvers will allow for an incentive to exhale for a longer period by the child, to force excretions to come up to the coughing zone of the bronchials…the child will cough and swallow. The secretions are expelled by the digestive system (parents can note mucousy stools in the diaper). In the case of copious mucus discharge, we also have technics that force the secretions up to the mouth and thus can be eliminated by spitting up into a tissue.
These methods note, are in no way painful for the child but tiring. For this reason only, will there be numerous pauses with respect to rhythm and to sensitivity of the child. The treatment will be beneficial from 24 to 48 hours and allow a more favorable, as well as a more natural process of elimination of secretions from the lungs.
Why is this kind of intervention complementary?
The bronchial-pulmonary system has three ways of reacting to aggression (generally viral)
- Inflammation
- Spasming
- Hyper secretion
The medical system will affect principally on the inflammation and the spasm by using medication (i.e. Flovent for inflammation, Ventolin for the spams). Hyper-secretion in children will be considered when child is in respiratory distress and often determined by a “prise en charge” which enable a balance in the bronchial-pulmonary system.
In fact, inflammation and spasms promotes hyper-secretion: a vicious circle that maintains bronchial congestion and leads to chronic congestion see pulmonary distress. Chronic congestion can favor a state of chronic inflammation of the bronchioles and lead to a progressive deterioration to an asthmatic state.
Do not hesitate to consult with other alternative disciplines, in order to link the chronic respiratory dysfunction to related or unrelated causes , more or less connected to course of history of your child’s life.
Didier GALL, Masso-kinésithérapeute accrédité pour les soins respiratoires (Clinique NDG)
DIU de kiné-respiratoire et cardio-vasculaire de Paris V
Completed a training in Inhalotherapy
