Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) - Risk Factors, Treatment and Breathing Techniques

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a chronic lung condition that causes breathing difficulties. In Singapore, COPD mainly affects people over the age of 40 and it is the sixth major cause of death.

The risk factors for COPD include:

1. Cigarette smoking: The No. 1 cause of COPD (80 to 90 per cent of those diagnosed are chronic smokers).

2. Exposure to secondary smoke: Breathing in smoke from other people's cigarettes increases risk.

3. Exposure to chemical fumes, excessive dust and pollutants at work: Occupational exposure to harmful substances can damage the lungs.

4. Recurrent respiratory infections: Repeated lung infections can contribute to COPD development.

Doctors will usually prescribe medications which allow the airways to relax and open up (bronchodilators), inhaled corticosteroid medications, and antibiotics to treat COPD symptoms. Oxygen therapy can be considered for severe COPD with chronic respiratory failure.

Though lung damage caused by COPD is irreversible, medication can manage the symptoms and slow the progression of the disease. Pulmonary rehabilitation has also been shown to improve effort tolerance and reduce breathlessness amongst patients with COPD.

Occupational therapy plays an important role in helping COPD patients manage their condition through breathing techniques and recovery positions.

What are Breathing Recovery Positions for?

Breathing recovery positions help us to open up our airway and relax our upper body muscles so that we can breathe more easily. In the event of breathlessness, you can try the following and perform controlled breathing taught by your therapist.

Standing Recovery Positions

Standing recovery positions involve leaning forward and supporting yourself with your hands or arms to help open up the airways and reduce breathlessness. These positions can be used when you are standing and experience difficulty breathing.

Sitting Recovery Positions

Sitting recovery positions involve sitting down and leaning forward, often with your arms resting on a table or your knees, to help ease breathing. These positions are useful when you need to rest whilst seated.

Lying Recovery Positions

Lying recovery positions involve lying down in positions that help open the airways and make breathing easier. These can be used when resting in bed or on a surface.

Monitor Breathing

It is important to monitor your breathing during activities:

• Intermittently pause to check for signs of breathlessness during activities
• If breathless, stop activity
• Use Recovery Breathing Techniques before continuing task

Recovery Breathing Techniques

Pursed Lip Breathing

Pursed lip breathing is a controlled breathing technique that helps manage breathlessness:

Step 1: Prepare

• Relax your shoulder and neck
• Place hand on stomach to feel that it rises

Step 2: Breathe In

• Breathe in through nose for 2 counts
• Feel your stomach rise as you breathe in

Step 3: Breathe Out

• Breathe out through mouth for 4 counts (as if trying to blow a candle)
• Place hand on stomach to feel that it falls

This technique helps to slow down your breathing, keep your airways open longer, and reduce the work of breathing. By breathing out slowly through pursed lips, you create a small amount of resistance that helps prevent airway collapse and improves oxygen exchange.

By combining medical treatment with breathing recovery positions and techniques, patients with COPD can better manage their symptoms and maintain their quality of life. It is important to work with your healthcare team, including doctors and occupational therapists, to develop a comprehensive management plan tailored to your needs.

Remember to monitor your breathing during activities, use recovery positions when needed, and practise controlled breathing techniques regularly to help manage breathlessness and improve your ability to perform daily tasks.