Respiratory Physiotherapy For Babies: When And Why?

Respiratory physiotherapy for babies is very beneficial. It gives immediate results, without causing any kind of pain. In fact, pediatricians recommend it because it has no side effects. In addition, it helps reduce respiratory infections and the use of medications.

In the coldest times of the year, respiratory diseases increase in babies. Babies naturally have mucus secretions due to the low temperatures. If the amount of secretions increases, the mucous membrane becomes inflamed. This naturally complicates expelling the secretions, which affects breathing. The most common symptoms are cough and nasal discharge.

There are many lung diseases in babies that can be cured by taking respiratory physiotherapy. In fact, this type of therapy is aimed at eliminating secretions from the respiratory tract. Plus, it helps improve the way babies breathe and their quality of life.

The Benefits of Respiratory Physiotherapy for Babies

If children have regular breathing problems before the age of two, they are likely to develop breathing problems into adulthood. Respiratory physiotherapy is then an effective and safe treatment that reduces the consequences of respiratory diseases in babies. Therefore, it improves their quality of life in the long run.

The different diseases that respiratory physiotherapy treats have something in common: the inflammation of the mucosa. This membrane is in charge of the defense of the organism against viruses, bacteria, allergens, toxic substances, etc. And, its inflammation is the cause of mucus secretion.

If left untreated, the inflammation will continue and the symptoms will last longer. As a result, this can lead to more complications in babies. That is why it is so important to apply respiratory physiotherapy and to break this vicious circle.

When Should Babies Get Respiratory Physiotherapy?

Respiratory physiotherapy is recommended for babies when they suffer from lung obstruction. In addition, they should follow this treatment whenever they have problems with their airways while breathing. However, it is not recommended in the case of tumor diseases or malformations. In fact, this kind of treatment can complicate these situations.

Respiratory physiotherapy can improve children’s breathing after just a few sessions. The sooner you start treatment, the better it will be for your baby. The techniques associated with this treatment are aimed at reducing secretions and improving breathing. You can actually combine this therapy with other treatments and make it more effective.

Different diseases you can treat with respiratory physiotherapy

Respiratory physiotherapy is beneficial in those cases where the lung obstruction is reversible. It not only treats diseases but also prevents new diseases in the future. There are five groups of diseases, according to their main cause:

• Acute and Chronic Lung Diseases : Among the acute diseases we find bronchitis, bronchiolitis and pneumonia. There are many chronic diseases, such as allergic diseases and asthma. In addition, this also includes cystic fibrosis, bronchiectasis and regular infections.
• Shared space diseases that affect the respiratory and digestive systems: These include swallowing difficulties, which affect respiratory activity.
• Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease: This causes an increase in secretions in the upper respiratory tract.

• Diseases related to childbirth: Some of these can result from ingestion of amniotic fluid or from immature lungs. They also include lung infections in newborns.
• Respiratory diseases in the upper respiratory tract: These include the nose, mouth, throat, and larynx. An increase in upper airway secretion can spread to the trachea and lungs.

A conservative treatment

The kind of treatment that respiratory physical therapy provides reduces the use of drugs in babies. They are passive techniques that can even be performed at home. In the case of babies, all techniques are passive.

Depending on the severity of the disease, treatment may be on an outpatient basis or at home. In the case of more serious situations, respiratory physiotherapy is performed wherever the baby is hospitalized. This therapy improves the health of babies and reduces the time they have to spend in the hospital. Respiratory physiotherapy in babies should be performed in a playful way, in a pleasant context, with family and friends.