Exercise is good for patients with chronic bronchitis. What principles should be followed? What kind of exercise is good?

Author: Xi Jianing, Chief Physician, Beijing Rehabilitation Hospital, Capital Medical University

Reviewer: Fang Baomin, Chief Physician, Beijing Hospital

Many patients with chronic bronchitis are unwilling to move due to wheezing and suffocation. The less they move, the less respiratory muscles they have. If they are not used, the respiratory muscles will become stiff, which is very bad for breathing. In addition, the heart and lung functions complement each other. If the heart function cannot keep up, the breathing difficulties will be aggravated.

On the one hand, proper exercise can strengthen the respiratory muscles. On the other hand, if you keep up with the exercise, the workload on the heart will be reduced, and the amount of blood returning to the heart will proceed rhythmically, reducing the perfusion of the lungs.

Proper exercise can excite the sympathetic nerves, making the secretions in the trachea less viscous and diluting the sputum, making it easier to cough up. Exercise can also make patients feel happier and less depressed.

Therefore, for patients with chronic bronchitis, moderate activity and exercise are recommended.

1. What principles should patients with chronic bronchitis follow when exercising?

For patients with chronic bronchitis, they must be careful not to overdo it during activities and follow the principles of low energy and low oxygen consumption.

Chronic bronchitis patients should exercise slowly and gently, like doing Tai Chi, so that they can better control their oxygen consumption. If they feel shortness of breath or a little discomfort in breathing, they should control the amount of activity and not increase the amount of training. This is a subjective symptom that is easier to control.

If you exercise to the point of being out of breath and the airflow speed is difficult to control, it will cause damage to the tracheal wall. The tracheal wall is very sensitive at this time, making coughing likely and aggravating the symptoms.

2. What kind of exercises can help chronic bronchitis patients recover?

The first is exercises that increase the range of motion of the chest, including chest expansion exercises, body rotation exercises, and side body exercises, which can promote the recovery of the thoracic respiratory muscles.

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The second is aerobic exercise. Aerobic exercise refers to exercise in an oxygen-free state, and the activity environment and rhythm of the exercise promote oxygen intake. For example, walking training is a good aerobic exercise. You should not feel breathless during the exercise. Breathing means that the body is already lacking in oxygen and is about to enter the process of anaerobic fermentation.

When patients with chronic bronchitis do these exercises, they need to do some corresponding tests and assessments, such as cardiopulmonary exercise function tests, to see if they are suitable, how much exercise they can do, and to make predictions and plans for the exercises.

3. Can patients with chronic bronchitis do strength training?

Strength training is mainly for respiratory function and the activities of the limbs and trunk. If the limbs and trunk are not active, the muscles will atrophy. If you want to maintain the functions of various aspects of daily life, you must train your muscles. Strength training will also stimulate the respiratory function, requiring the respiratory function to keep up.

Therefore, strength training is absolutely necessary for patients with chronic bronchitis, but strength training should be done in moderation, and symptoms such as wheezing, coughing, and shortness of breath should be avoided. Slow training is recommended.

Here are some exercises that chronic bronchitis patients can do at home.

The first is the strength training of the upper limbs. The upper limbs are abducted to exercise the upper limb muscles; the elbow flexion movement can be performed alternately or with both arms. When it is performed alternately, it can not only exercise strength, but also exercise the coordination of the upper limbs. You can fill a mineral water bottle with water and use it like a dumbbell.

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After the upper limb training, you can also exercise the lower limbs. Do it in a sitting position, straighten your legs, which can exercise the quadriceps well. You can do it alternately with both legs. Then you can do ankle pump exercises, which is to curl your feet and stretch your toes. It can fully exercise the calf muscles and exercise the coordination of the lower limbs. You can do it alternately with both feet, like beating a beat.

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How many sets of each movement should be done? For upper limb abduction, elbow flexion, and kicking, you can do it about 15 times each time; ankle pump exercise, the amount of exercise is relatively small, you can do it 20-30 times. The specific number should be based on your physical strength, 2-3 sets a day will be enough.

It should be noted that in daily life, patients with chronic bronchitis must have a plan. Without a plan, people may be caught off guard, easily panic, increase ineffective activities, and increase oxygen consumption. In this planning process, you need to design a route, which one comes first and which one comes later, pay attention to the rhythm, and try to reduce oxygen consumption. Another thing is that when you feel shortness of breath, you should rest as much as possible and then continue after you have rested.