I need to learn how to BREATHE again following injury

[themilf]

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[NippleMuncher]

Sorry, no links to provide, but I do have this.

If you're relatively well healed so that physical injury/pain is no longer an issue, your breathing problem is probably more psychosomatic than anything else. Prove to yourself that you can breathe more deeply, simply by doing it. Just as with any physical exercise program, you gotta start out slow and gently and work up your courage and stamina.

Google breathing techniques for deeper breaths. One of the things you'll find is to inhale as much as you can, then you "sip" more air in and hold it for a bit. What you're trying to do is gently stretch the lung tissues and chest muscles that have atrophied a bit with your lower breath intake for the past 6 months, it is going to take physical therapy to bring it back.

As for a specialist to look for, I would say anyone who deals with breathing issues specifically.

 

[shiny5437]

If you're still having pain more than 6 months from the original injury then you may need to consider the presence of a chronic pain syndrome. If your regular doctor is satisfied that your original injury is healed then it might be useful to be asked to be referred to a pain specialist. The will have a variety of approaches which may well be a combination of physio and medications.

 

[victorious]

How I learned to breathe better

Sorry, no links to provide, but I do have this.

If you're relatively well healed so that physical injury/pain is no longer an issue, your breathing problem is probably more psychosomatic than anything else. Prove to yourself that you can breathe more deeply, simply by doing it. Just as with any physical exercise program, you gotta start out slow and gently and work up your courage and stamina.

Google breathing techniques for deeper breaths. One of the things you'll find is to inhale as much as you can, then you "sip" more air in and hold it for a bit. What you're trying to do is gently stretch the lung tissues and chest muscles that have atrophied a bit with your lower breath intake for the past 6 months, it is going to take physical therapy to bring it back.

As for a specialist to look for, I would say anyone who deals with breathing issues specifically.

Dear themilf,
I am sorry to hear about your having difficulty with your breathing.
I must congratulate Nipple Muncher as he gave you some excellent advice on how to increase your breathing.

Like you, i also have suffered from breathing problems, as well as a host of other ailments, associated with exposure to toxic chemicals, mold and methamphetamine residues from a previous residence.

My breathing was affected from that multiple source exposure to the point that my lungs and alveoli were severely damaged and I wound up having stage 2-3- chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Here is what I learned regarding how to breathe and it has definitely helped me to regain some of my lung capacity.

Take a deep breath in and then try to hold it for about 15-20 seconds. Then, very slowly expel the air by releasing it through pursing you lips so that the air slowly exits your lungs. Continue to release it slowly until all the air is gone. Do this exercise at least three or four times a day, and you will notice that your lungs with not hurt and you will be able to take deeper breaths.

As you find that you lung capacity is getting better, increase the inhale of air intoi your lungs and hold it for a longer period before exhaling it out.

I hope that this works for you- It works for me and I use it every day.

I am Victorious and happy to be alive!

 

[fire_breeze]

Let me start by saying "happy new year" to the greatest community of people I've found online. I was awol pretty much all last year but lurked on occasion and really missed some of your personalities!
I'll spare you the details of most of my obstacles of last year but I need your help with this one.
While I have been to a chiropractor, early one Sunday evening my back felt a bit out of whack and I asked someone to "crack my back". You know, big squeezing hug? Loosen things up a bit?
When he squeezed I heard an awful crunching sound and had a bit of difficulty catching my breath. But I didn't want to make him uncomfortable by expressing how bad it was and finished my nightly routine. In fact I even got up and dressed for work the next day, just never quite made it.
It turns out that several of my ribs were separated from my breastbone, I had torn tendons and pulled and bruised muscles and a diaphragmatic injury. And about 5 weeks into my recovery, I was involved in a minor car accident that caused further injury by pulling the seat belt across my breastbone. It was MONTHS before I could move about as before, wear heels, dry my own hair and BREATHE. I still have difficulty breathing. I realize I am avoiding activities and invitations because I'm afraid I won't be able to breathe. This is a pain in the ass.
I've actually thought about looking on YouTube for "how to" videos. I find my doc (an internist who is generally wonderful for the yearly check up and occasional illness) is rather dismissive about it. Maybe I'm not expressing to him the magnitude of my discomfort. I passed up free tickets to a world series game because of this. And the injury was in June or July.
Is there anyone here that can point me in the direction of someone who can help? Or a website or videos?

I am sorry to hear about your accidents and hope you are healing well

If your doctors have evaluated your injuries as being healed, and I assume that you have gone to physical therapy as well and the therapist said that you are good to go, then as NM said, it may very well be psychosomatic.

(If you have not done physical therapy, then I strongly recommend it. Injuries such as yours needs to be rehabilitated and muscles strengthened.)

If the above is yes, then have you considered yoga? Many forms of yoga, particularly Kripalu, Restorative, Pranayama Viniyoga and Hatha, are gentle on the body and focuses on breathing. Pranayama, Hatha and Kripalu, for example, is about teaching how to breathe and is foundational for many performers who rely on breathing in order to optimise their performances. Additionally, yoga is being studied and there are strong evidence for calming and centring the mind, helping with fears and helps to alleviates depression (I can personally attest to the last one). It's a win-win situation .

I would also recommend that you attend classes. Many studios offer sliding scales, or look for those with social philosophies as they believe that yoga should be accessible to all and will often require either a donation or volunteering at one of their supported charities. The Y should also offer affordable yoga. The reason is because many of the poses require proper posture which, if you have never done yoga, you will not learn on YouTube or on the web. Sorry.
Furthermore, a good yoga instructor will also be able to help you with learning to breathe again. They will be able to offer exercises tailored to your needs, and will incorporate breathing skills.

However, like any good trainer/therapist/professional, it may take a few tries before you click with an instructor - and sometimes they will suggest that you try one of their colleagues because they feel that they are not the ones able to provide an adequate service.

Good luck.

 

[GiggLeGasm]

many blessings as you recover.. you are indeed not done

I echo what many have suggested, especially restorative yoga. I would caution you against thinking that you're fully recovered based merely on an office visit and, personally, would recommend a cardio-thoracic specialist. If you can't breathe because of something structural, breathing exercises could create further stress.

To offer hope from my personal experience, some times it can take months/years after bones heal to fully recover. I was "recovered" from a bad car accident within 2 months. That meant that I could return to daily activities. The surprise came when, with further discussion, I learned that the pain could last another eighteen months (on average) while the rest of the healing process continued. My swelling was finally resolved 2 years later and, even though it wasn't obvious to others, I could feel the torment of its slow process. Yoga was a big help to me because it was something I'd done with great commitment in the past. The other thing that helped was meditation.

When we focus on "exercising the breath," the goal is very forward moving. Meditation allowed passive exercise. I allowed myself the patience to relax through the pain and explore new boundaries. Because I never felt compromised physically in such a restful state, there was less withdrawal when I hit a roadblock.

The good news is, your body has already revealed that it is in healing mode. I wish you peace, patience, and fulfillment as you continue.

 

[WhipLuvr]

My best advice is to learn to belly-breathe. Basically this means when you breathe in, you let your stomach move outwards, instead of sucking it in or lifting your ribcage up and out with nothing else happening. This should put less strain on your breastbone, allowing it to take its time healing. It's yoga breathing.

Second, I'd reccomend correcting any posture issues you may have, to keep things straight and free of strain.

And finally: NEVER go to a chiro again. Its a quack science, perpetuated by hacks with minimal medical training and it's actually been known to kill people. If something feels out, go to a massage therapist of physiotherapist instead. Cracking or crunching bones doesn't lead to a permanent solution. PLEASEPLEASEPLEASE report your old chiro to a governing body!!

 

[GiggLeGasm]

it sounds like it was a friend who performed the "back cracking"

I am a fan of massage therapy. I think a lot of people suffer from a loss of healing touch. If your choice is to go to a massage therapist to assist with recovery, just as you would with any other treatment provider, ensure that this person is trained in what he/she is being asked to do. Here, we have certified massage therapists, licensed massage therapists, sports therapists, anesthetists, etc.. each has a different range of services provided based on state licensing. They are not all the same.

I also have mixed feelings about chiropractic care based on friends who have had negative experience.. but then I have friends who go to very good chiropractic doctors with great results. Professionals in every medical field have been, in some way, associated with malpractice. The truth is, there is great scientific support that chiropractic medicine is respected as an effective treatment modality. Many larger medical institutions have introduced chiropractic care into their integrative medicine departments and insurance companies often reimburse for this care.

 

[SweetErika]

I don't have much to add to the great advice you've already been given, but it sounds like a respiratory therapist would also be a good professional to turn to in this case. Insist on a referral from your internist, if necessary, but either way, you may try to find an RT who's experienced with rehabbing people with chest injuries.

 

[themilf]

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[themilf]

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[themilf]

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[themilf]

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[themilf]

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[themilf]

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[themilf]

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[themilf]

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[themilf]

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[NippleMuncher]

Well I think that is not impossible, the psychosomatic part. I'm also just ALWAYS in a hurry, rushing and it's easy to become anxious! How much does that contribute, I wonder!

It contributes a great deal, because you're not focusing on the moment, but on whatever is creating the anxiety. Take some time to just focus on your breathing. Notice how you breathe, then both slow your breathing pace and then increase the depth of your breaths. This is not only a valuable breathing exercise, it is also a form of meditation, BOTH will help with the anxiety and your breathing issue.

 

[njlauren]

My advice would be to get another doctor to look at you, a pulmonologist can rule out any kind of issues, like scarring on the lungs if something went into it, or decreased expansion of the rib cage and such that can hurt breathing. While it could be psychosomatic, I wouldn't be so quick to assume that either, rib injuries are no joke, and a run of the mill GP may not be able to detect lingering issues. And yes, a PT to work on you is probably a great idea, friend of mine's wife did that professionally, and it is amazing what it can do. Rib injuries are a bitch, and one of the things they taught us in the various first aid/first responder courses was that when the ribs were involved, to encourage the people to get follow up (the only thing they emphasized more was if someone had been choking on something and you helped them clear it, get them to a doctor or er to make sure the throat wasn't scratched, as it could swell up and block the airway).

 

[jodylee]

As a singer, I can't emphasize enough to be careful with your damaged muscles.. Go easy on yourself and think of being able to increase your capacity and ability over a long time. Deep belly breathing is the way to go. Easiest way to practice that is to lie on your back in bed and breathe naturally. You'll notice your shoulders are relaxed, and your abdomen moves. I'll pm you, and if you'd like to discuss some other exercises, I'd be happy to help!