Statistics suggest that there are over 3 million asthma sufferers in the UK, and the number of people who are being diagnosed with the condition are increasing. It is a complex problem with many possible aggravating factors, but there is an ever-increasing reliance on medication aimed at relieving or controlling asthma symptoms, rather than addressing the causes.
Osteopathic treatment will not cure asthma but it can help to improve the breathing mechanism. By improving these mechanics, as well as correcting problems with posture that are commonly associated with asthma, the body is more able to overcome any problems associated with breathing restrictions. This should improve breathing generally and also reduce the need for medication.
Asthma sufferers generally breathe more shallowly and at a faster rate; rather than spreading the breathing process across the whole chest, patients characteristically employ just the upper chest area. Osteopathic treatment can provide improved movement within the rib cage and upper back as well as encouraging the diaphragm and lower chest to become more involved in the breathing process.
Attempts by chronic asthma sufferers to make breathing easier during an attack by using additional respiratory muscles often results in a habitual rounding of the shoulders. This posture actually hinders the whole process of breathing and creates abnormal muscular tension patterns. Osteopathic treatment can encourage the shoulders to fall back and allow the chest cavity to expand more freely so improving the breathing technique.