How Pulmonary Rehabilitation Helps Lung Conditions In Short Term Rehab

Breathing is essential to life. It is something we all take for granted until we struggle to get air. Feeling like you’re suffocating can be very concerning and quite scary for patients dealing with breathing difficulties. Lung problems can have a significant impact on a person’s quality of life, making even the most basic daily activities difficult to perform.

Patients suffering with lung disease or other lung related issues can often return to normal life with acute care through pulmonary rehabilitation, which helps them regain control and restore the health of their lungs. These specialized programs offer around-the-clock inpatient care, which is particularly helpful for individuals with severe lung related conditions.

To restore lung health in the most effective way possible, inpatient pulmonary rehabilitation offers 24-hour care. As a patient in a transitional rehab facility, a specialized team of therapists will provide several hours of therapy each day to facilitate a faster recovery. The duration of a patient’s stay in the rehab facility depends on various factors, including the type of surgery they’ve undergone, the severity of their illness, and their overall health condition.

Pulmonary rehabilitation works to help lung disease patients regain their independence, improve their quality of life, slow down the progression of chronic lung disease, improve breathing, facilitate a smooth transition home, and prevent future health issues. A team of specialists develops a personalized treatment plan based on the specific needs of each individual.

A respiratory rehabilitation program combines a number of therapies like physical therapy, occupational therapy, counseling, physiatry, and other pulmonary therapies that help increase lung capacity and minimize the strain restricted airflow can have on normal daily activities. Patients learn new exercises, eating habits, and breathing techniques to manage their condition. The respiratory team may also provide adaptive equipment and breathing devices, educating patients on how to use them correctly. Patients are generally referred to inpatient respiratory rehabilitation by their cardiologist or pulmonary specialist.

There are several reasons why a doctor may recommend inpatient respiratory rehabilitation. If you are facing lung surgery, suffering from a restrictive lung or obstructive lung disease, or have or have had severe pneumonia, inpatient respiratory rehabilitation may be recommended to help manage your recovery process.

Recovery from Lung Surgery

Lung surgery for cancer, pulmonary embolism, transplant, or infection may result in side effects such as fatigue, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and pain. Respiratory rehabilitation in an inpatient transitional rehabilitation facility can help patients manage their breathing and speed up their recovery, preventing emergencies or further complications while enhancing lung function.

Manage Restrictive Lung Disease

Pulmonary fibrosis and sarcoidosis are restrictive lung diseases that make it very difficult for the lungs to expand to their full capacity, making it challenging to breathe. A specialized team of medical professionals at a transitional rehab facility will help patients learn to breathe more efficiently and perform daily activities better through oxygen therapy, supervised exercise, nutrition counseling, and energy conservation training. This results in increased stamina, improved mental health, improved lung function, and reduced breathing difficulties.

Manage Chronic Obstructive Lung Conditions

COPD, chronic bronchitis, asthma,emphysema, and cystic fibrosis are obstructive lung conditions that can inflame or obstruct the airways, causing restricted airflow that makes it difficult to breathe. Respiratory rehabilitation can help slow the progression of these diseases, improve endurance, increase functional movement, decrease oxygen use, and reduce the chance of re-hospitalization through specialized therapy programs tailored to meet the needs of the individual.

Recover from Severe Pneumonia
In cases of severe pneumonia, respiratory rehabilitation can assist in regulating breathing and recovering from the viral or bacterial infection. A patient’s treatment plan can include medications, oxygen therapy, intravenous fluids, tracheostomy care, mechanical ventilation, progressive exercises, and ventilation weaning. Inpatient pulmonary rehabilitation can boost endurance, enhance pulmonary function and immunity, offer relief from symptoms, reverse the progression of pneumonia, and lower treatment costs.

Prodigy Transitional Rehab

Prodigy Transitional Rehab is an industry leader in comprehensive pulmonary rehabilitation that includes a specialized program of the most clinically effective pulmonary therapies and up-to-date treatment plans. We are leaders in returning patients to their homes as quickly as possible. With rehabilitation services available 7 days a week, patients get the intensive treatment they need to return to their prior level of independence as quickly as possible.

Our focus is providing each patient with a positive rehabilitation experience. Because of these positive experiences, a significant number of our patients return to Prodigy for future rehabilitation needs. Contact us today to learn more.