bronchiectasis and massage

Posted by apf @apf, 4 hours ago

Is there any reason to not allow deep tissue massage in the lung area? I had one yesterday to take out some knots in my back and elsewhere. But once she started working that deeply on my back I wondered if it could potentially have a negative impact on my airways.

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Jennifer, Volunteer Mentor | @jenniferhunter | 1 hour ago

@apf I would think massage would be beneficial to breathing. The lungs are protected in the rib cage. The trachea in the neck is in the front and there is a lot of muscle on the back of the neck and shoulders. I have thoracic outlet syndrome which causes tightness in my rib cage, and that makes my lungs less efficient at clearing phlegm if it doesn’t move well. Massage helps get it moving better and I breathe a lot better. I have some tightness in my neck too from cervical spine surgery and tight neck muscles. I loosen that too with myofascial release strengthening and it helps me clear phlegm. I have asthma and will get a lung infection if phlegm is trapped.