The Role of the Physiotherapist in the Treatment of Hyperventilation

Abstract

I have been using the treatment techniques described here almost daily since 1979. They are largely based on the methods developed and used by the consultant chest physician Dr. L.C. Lum (1977) and physiotherapists Diana Innocenti (1987) and Rosemary Cluff (1984), all at Papworth Hospital, Cambridgeshire. The treatment consists of carefully assessing hyperventilators, educating them into an awareness of the problem, encouraging them to observe present erratic breathing patterns and to consciously convert to a slow, rhythmic, abdominal pattern that eventually becomes automatic. The aim is to reduce the volume of air moved in and out of the lungs so that it is appropriate for the metabolic rate at that time, thus enabling a normal Pco₂ to be maintained. Finally, patients are taught to recognize unnecessary stress and tension in the body and mind, and to learn to remedy this by using simple relaxation methods, both general and specific.