Covid-19 and Chest Infections
It is that horrible word again, ‘coronavirus’, but today we are talking about it without negative connotations.
Recovery from respiratory illness, not just coronavirus, can be a long, slow recovery, with feelings of tiredness and ‘not being yourself ‘often described by our patients and being felt firsthand.
We find many postural and neuromuscular changes during and after illness, some staying for the duration of the illness, but many lingering for some time following. When we are ill, we naturally adopt a more hunched position. With this position, we restrict our chest cavity’s capacity, but also place unusual neuromuscular demands on our body due to this new posture, and can lead to long-term postural changes if adopted for a long period, or not corrected.
Furthermore, due to the coughing and deep breathing seen with respiratory illnesses such as Covid, an increased exertion of the deep respiratory muscles is required, and can lead to long-term trigger point formation and dysfunction, leading to shortness of breath and general fatigue often described by patients, with a ‘deep breath’ not being felt to the bottom of the diaphragm. The common culprit for this is an often ignored muscle called the serratus posterior inferior, a key respiratory muscle. The action of the SPI is to help depress the lower ribs, helping to increase the size of the thoracic cavity. When there is dysfunction in this muscle, the SPI is unable to perform this action, leading to a reduced size in the thoracic cavity, reducing the volume of air inhaled and exhaled, and as a result, the amount of oxygen and carbon dioxide exchanged too.
Using Sigma Q technology, we can locate exact areas of neuromuscular dysfunction, where trigger points have formed in the muscle and subsequently lead to the reduced quality of life seen. More importantly, we can reactivate these areas, regaining the function of respiratory muscle to help restore levels of energy through increasing inspiration capacity, allowing for more oxygen to be inhaled and utilised.
Following treatment, patients describe feeling freer, and lighter, and performing deep breaths much easier. As a result of treatment, they begin to regain the quality of life they had before the illness.
If you are currently suffering from any of the issues talked about in this blog, or know someone who does, please feel free to get in contact to discuss things further and to book a session.
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