How to relieve bronchitis with massage

Bronchitis is an inflammatory disease of the lower respiratory tract. Exudate accumulates in the bronchi, and the patient suffers from coughing that occurs in attacks. In the case of acute bronchitis or exacerbation of chronic bronchitis, there is also an inflammatory process in the pharynx and nasal sinuses. Special substances, fibroblasts, rush to the affected tissues, and fibers form around the area affected by viruses. They enclose inflamed tissues in a special “bag” of connective tissue. In order to make the blood circulate faster, delivering the cells necessary to fight the disease to the diseased areas, it is necessary to perform a massage for bronchitis.

There is one “but”: under no circumstances should a massage be performed if the patient has an elevated body temperature. In this case, blood flow increases, which will contribute to a further increase in temperature indicators up to very high values. If the disease is already in the subacute stage, then you can safely start massage to help the body quickly expel “uninvited guests” - viruses.

Massage technique and features: starting from the chest

Most often, chest massage is indicated for this disease. It is aimed at normalizing work:

1. bronchi;
2. hearts;
3. lungs.

In general, massage for bronchitis is preferably performed in a position that is comfortable for the patient: a person can lie on his chest or stomach - so as to feel most comfortable. If well-being allows, it is worth laying the sick person on his back in order to properly massage the chest.

First you need to perform strokes, starting with weak ones and ending with stronger pressure. Gently rub the chest with stroking movements. You should carefully massage your neck with the same gentle movements, without touching the submandibular and cervical lymph nodes and carefully bypassing the thyroid gland. Movements should be directed towards the lymph nodes.

Kneading the chest, the massage therapist makes an upward movement with his hands, as if trying to lift the patient into the air. This movement is directed upward: the muscle work begins from the abdomen, and then the massage therapist moves up the chest. After repeating the technique 5-6 times, the master performs stroking, “calming” the tissue.

Then you need to carefully “walk” your fingers along the intercostal spaces. To do this, we first stand to the left of the patient, place our fingers as close as possible to the center of the chest on the side opposite to us and, with moderately strong movements, move our open fingers along the intercostal spaces. Movements must be continuous to avoid pain.

Then you need to go to the other side and repeat the entire cycle on the second half of the chest.

The massage therapist should be very careful when he performs a session on women: any strong pressure on the mammary glands is prohibited! They should be avoided. You also need to be extremely careful when passing through the heart area.

Back massage

Ideally, you should massage both your back and chest. How to do a massage with bronchitis if the patient feels well and can calmly change position?

The following techniques are used in adults

The patient should be asked to stand, leaning forward and resting his hands (for comfort) on a table or sofa. We first perform strokes on the back from the shoulders to the hips and from the hips to the shoulders. In this case, the movements should be quite intense. The stroke should be gentle, but with force, so that the patient feels pressure and not just touch. As a result of performing the exercise for about one to two minutes, slight redness should appear on the skin.

If the massage does not cause discomfort, continue the session. We continue stroking, but now not with the whole palm, but only with the pads of the fingers. You need to “go through” especially carefully:

1. along the back of the shoulder;
2. along the shoulder blades;
3. along the spine.

This movement promotes good relaxation of the trapezius muscle, so it is advisable to use it during each session.

Then comes the tapping. The patient is in the same position, that is, bending over and resting his hands on the table, and the massage therapist puts both hands together and, placing his palms on the patient’s back, runs his palms up to the neck, tapping each part of the back finely and finely. The movement can be repeated several times. Perhaps after it, red stripes will appear on the skin (along the spine where the master’s hands “passed”). This is normal: such hyperemia indicates that the technique was performed correctly.

Tapping can also be done this way: after asking the patient to lie on his stomach, the master carefully “hits” his palms folded into a handful on his back. The sound of a pop should be clearly audible. Movements should not be strong, but very frequent.

You cannot perform this movement in the kidney projection area! However, if the patient is of a fairly large build and does not suffer from pyelonephritis and other diseases of the urinary tract, you can knock there too.

Tapping should become an obligatory part of each session: it perfectly helps the bronchi to free themselves from accumulated exudate and remove toxins.

Next you should knead. To do this, grab with your palms the largest possible fold of skin with muscles - the deeper, the greater the effect - and knead it firmly, not sharply. Smoothness is very important. Sudden movements will cause pain, causing the muscles to spasm, and there will be no benefit.

You need to complete the massage with vibration so that the muscles relax.

Features of children's sessions

Massage for bronchitis in children has no fundamental differences, except for one thing: all movements must be extremely careful. As much attention as possible should be paid to stroking, alternating them with each other stroke.

Small children cannot be “tapped” with handfuls of palms, much less with fists: only the pads of the fingers are used for this technique.

The position that the child chooses should, first of all, be comfortable for him: some people tolerate the massage better lying on their back, others find it more comfortable to lie on their stomach, and some prefer to sit on their parents’ laps. All this is quite acceptable.

Magic points

In order to say goodbye to the disease as quickly as possible, you can try to influence biologically active points.

First point: 1.5 transverse fingers below the collarbone, between the deltoid and pectoral muscles. The second one is also easy to find: bend your arm - the point is located at the outer end of the elbow fold.

The third can be identified by the pulsation of the radial artery: it is located at the wrist joint.

If the course of bronchitis is acute, the points are massaged counterclockwise. Every day at least 2 times you should repeat pressing on the points for 1-2 minutes.

If a patient suffers from chronic bronchitis, then to prevent exacerbations it is necessary to work on these same points during periods of remission. Only the movements should be, on the contrary, clockwise. This must be done within 2 weeks.

Help with old bronchitis

Unfortunately, advanced bronchitis tends to develop into bronchial asthma. Even if this has already happened, you should not despair and rely only on medications: the massage techniques described above will also help such a patient. Special techniques have also been developed to relieve asthma attacks and to prevent such conditions.

Massage for bronchitis cannot be considered as the only type of therapy. This is rather an auxiliary method for speedy cleansing of the bronchi and restoration of health, used at those stages when the patient’s condition is no longer acute. However, when performed correctly and regularly, it improves the patient’s well-being, makes the prognosis of the disease more favorable and prevents relapses. Therefore, such a massage is often recommended after antibacterial therapy. A few sessions - and bronchitis will finally recede!

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