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Postural Drainage & Bronchiectasis (04/03
RMD)
Bronchiectasis
Many people who have had pneumonia, whooping cough or asthma in the past
may develop damage to parts of their lungs involving the airways. This
damage is called bronchiectasis and its main problem is that is causes
impairment of the transport of mucus from the bottom of the lungs up
into the throat.
The lungs produce mucus every day and this is used for cleaning the
airways. During an infection mucus production increases tremendously.
Normally this mucus is transported from the base of the lungs to the
throat by tiny cells lining the major airways. If a patient has
bronchiectasis this transport mechanism is broken in some places and so
the mucus pools in the lungs. This causes breathlessness, coughing and
often productive sputum when coughing.
The upper part of the lungs will drain naturally by gravity but the
lower parts can’t if this transport mechanism is broken and so patients
with bronchiectasis need to help this process along. This is done with
postural drainage.
Postural Drainage
Postural drainage should be carried out once, twice or three times a day
depending on the severity of symptoms and this will be advised by your
doctor.
To do postural drainage you simply have to lie on your side on a bed
right side uppermost. Gently tap the right uppermost part of your chest
wall and then do something called huffing. Huffing is breathing out as
far as you possibly can until you hear a wheeze and then you will cough.
What you cough should be spat out.
When you have done this a couple of times turn over and lie so
that your left side is uppermost and repeat the tapping and huffing on
that side.
When you have done both sides, roll over onto your stomach so that your
shoulders are lower than your hips, maybe a pillow underneath your hips
will help here, and then do some huffing alone.
These exercises will clear the left lower side, the right lower side and
the bases of your lungs.
Once your lungs are clear, medication that you may have been prescribed
(like inhalers) can reach the parts of the lungs which they are meant
to. If medication is taken before postural drainage occurs they hit a
brick wall of mucous and are ineffective.
Important points
Don't tap hard.
Don't be discouraged if it makes you cough. It's meant to.
Over a period of a few weeks your lungs will dry up a lot and the
frequency of the need to drain will decrease. Your GP will advise you
about this.
Persist as postural drainage is the single most effective thing you can
do to improve your lung function and your lifestyle if you have
bronchiectasis.
Postural drainage is also very useful if you have asthma and a chest
infection.
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 Whitnash
Medical Centre
110 Coppice Road
Whitnash
Warwickshire
CV31 2LT
Tel: 01926 316711
Fax: 01926 427260
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