Respiratory Physiotherapy

At Home Treatment and Assessment

Respiratory Assessment

Neuromuscular conditions can affect the way we breathe, from our mouth and nose down to how our body gets oxygen from the air. At Neurolab PT, we’re dedicated to giving the best care to people with these conditions.

Our body has natural mechanisms, like the mucociliary clearance system and a strong cough, help clear mucus and keep our airways clean. But when there’s too much mucus, a weak cough, or problems with these mechanisms, it can make it hard to keep our airways clear.

People with neuromuscular conditions face several respiratory challenges, such as:

1. Weakened breathing muscles, which reduce lung capacity and weaken coughing.
2. Issues with the chest wall, like scoliosis, which also lower lung capacity.
3. Problems with the muscles around the throat (bulbar dysfunction), making it hard to close the vocal cords and cough effectively.

Neurolab Physiotherapy will monitoring how well your breathing works and can offer early strategies and treatments to improve it. This can help you have fewer chest infections, fewer trips to the hospital, and a better quality of life overall.

It is essential to measure your breathing function early on, including things like how strong your cough is, the strength of your diaphragm, and how well your lungs work. We track these measurements over time and take action when they reach critical levels

Treatment and Management

Treatment requires and individualised touch. Each person is different, meaning that strategies that work for one person might not be the most effective for you.

Our therapists can assist with the assessment and the prescribing specific interventions to best suit your needs.

If you have recently been to hospital and sent home with a list of items, but have no idea where to start. Neurolab Physiotherapy can assist with assessing,  prescribing, ordering and implementing all devices. Including any required applications to assist with funding.

Most treatment plans will include a combination approach of the modalities listed below:

• Lung volume recruitment to assist in taking a large breathe in and improves cough strength

• Suctioning for secretion removal

• Cough assist devices to increase cough strength

• Positioning to improve air entry into the lungs

• Rib spring and tactile feedback methods

• Inspiratory Muscle Training to strengthen the diaphragm

• Manual cough to strengthen a weak cough

• Recommendations on nebulised therapies and management of oral secretions

• Airvo humidification to put warmth and moisture back into the lungs

• Airway Clearance Devices such as Acapella, Aerobika, Flutter, Pari-o-pep, Therapep, AirPhsio

• Manual techniques for shifting phlegm in the lungs (percussions, vibrations, oscillations)