Arushi Bidhuri
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Written By: Arushi Bidhuri | Published : June 2, 2021 5:21 PM IST
Image credits by: Here's how to use spirometer the right way to strengthen your lungs amid Covid
Covid-19, now in its second phase, has expanded and shrunk the world in unimaginable ways. It has upended people's lives and has left them gasping for breath with low oxygen levels. SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid, is known to cause the most scathing attack on the lungs and respiratory system, sometimes resulting in significant damage. In fact, some people even suffer from pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) after recovering from the dangerous disease. However, a person can improve their lung health with the help of therapy and exercise after they have recovered from Covid-19. Breathing exercises help increase lung capacity and help you breathe better, and using a spirometer is one of the easiest and effective ways to improve your respiratory organs. But most people don't how to use it properly. This article aims at explaining how you can use one.
An incentive spirometer is a portable medical device used to assist keep your lungs healthy after surgery or with certain lung illnesses such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), pneumonia, or asthma. The gadget assists in retraining your lungs to take slow, deep breaths, which may be too uncomfortable to perform on your own following surgery or a COPD flare.
A study published in the BMC Pulmonary Medicine found that in people who have had lung surgery, using incentive spirometer can help reduce post-surgical problems including pneumonia. Breathing in and out using an incentive spirometer can assist in keeping your lungs active and fluid-free. When you use a spirometer to do breathing exercises, the balls or piston inside the gadget rise and measure the volume of your breath. This gadget is useful for those recuperating from respiratory illnesses such as pneumonia, bronchitis, or COVID-19. However, it is recommended not to use the device in front of people in case of an active infection.
Most people believe that a spirometer can only be used for breathing out, but it can be used to measure both inhalation and exhalation. To breathe in, hold the spirometer upright, and to breathe out, turn it upside down. Here is how to do it correctly:
Begin with sitting comfortably in a chair or at the edge of your bed. Now, hold the spirometer straight at eye level and put the mouthpiece in your mouth and purse your lips tightly around it to completely lock it. Start breathing in slowly through the mouth so that the balls come up in the spirometer. The higher you take them, the better. Repeat the exercise at least five times. Now, turn the device upside down and exhale in the mouthpiece to raise the balls again. Try to keep the piston at the same level with each breath.
Remove the mouthpiece and hold your breath for at least three seconds to enable the piston to fall back to the bottom of the column. Take a ten-second break after every ten breaths to avoid breathlessness. In case you feel dizzy or lightheaded, stop and rest. Do not exceed 10-12 repetitions since this might cause shortness of breath. Also, make sure you consult your doctor before you start practising this.
Avoid using the spirometer in case you have has eye surgery recently, or you have a collapsed lung or ballooning blood vessel in the chest, abdomen, or brain.
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