Shallow Breathing After Surgery? Try Assisted Breathing on Your Side 👦🏼🫁 | Severe CP PT #19

👋🏼 Hi, I’m Amy Sturkey, a retired pediatric physical therapist with over 35 years of experience. ✨ Watch More Videos with Jack    • Physical Therapy with a Child with Severe ...   Please meet my wonderful co-instructor Jack 👦🏼. 🧠 *Jack’s Medical & Therapy Background* Jack is 13 years old and has spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy (GMFCS Level V). Jack also has: • Seizure disorder • Cortical vision impairment • Scoliosis • Complex medical needs He wears a cochlear implant and hearing aid and receives all nutrition through a G-tube. Jack has had prior orthopedic surgeries, including femoral derotation and heel-cord lengthenings. Most importantly—he is delightful. ✨ 📈 *A quick update on Jack* Since filming, Jack has had scoliosis surgery with excellent correction. His mother reports he is 3–4 inches taller afterward. This video was filmed before surgery as part of his pre-operative preparation. 🫁 *Why breathing can be difficult after surgery* After surgery, breathing is often shallower because of pain, stiffness, or reduced rib cage movement. This can make it harder to expand the lungs, clear secretions, and cough effectively. Many patients receive an incentive spirometer to encourage deeper breathing after surgery. However, children with significant motor and communication challenges may not use one effectively. 🎯 *What we are working on* Jack is positioned on his right side with a pillow beneath his trunk to gently stretch his tighter left side. I place my hands over the left side of his rib cage and follow his natural breathing pattern. Once I feel his breathing rhythm, I apply gentle overpressure during exhalation. This can encourage a larger expansion during the following inhale. As the treatment continues, Jack's left rib cage expands noticeably more. He remains comfortable and happy throughout. Side lying places the tighter side upward, encouraging expansion. The goals are to: • Encourage deeper breathing • Improve rib cage mobility • Increase chest expansion • Reduce stiffness • Support coughing and secretion clearance • Promote comfort 💡 Gentle exhalation assistance may encourage a bigger inhale. ⏱️ *Timestamps* 0:00 Introduction 0:10 Why breathing matters before scoliosis surgery 0:47 Why the tighter side is positioned up 1:26 Positioning with a pillow 1:46 Following Jack's breathing 2:13 Gentle overpressure during exhalation 2:51 Increased rib cage expansion 3:02 Side lying and postural drainage 3:32 Closing thoughts 🎯 *Key topics* 🫁 Rib cage expansion 😮‍💨 Assisted breathing 🛏️ Side-lying positioning 🦴 Scoliosis 💙 Cerebral palsy 👐 Manual breathing facilitation 🫧 Secretion clearance 🏥 Post-operative recovery 🌍 *Who this video is for* 👨🏽‍👩🏼‍👧 Families of children with cerebral palsy 👩🏾‍⚕️👨🏼‍⚕️ Therapists 👨🏿‍🏫 Caregivers 🧑🏽‍🦽 Children recovering from surgery ⚠️ *Important note* This video is for educational purposes only. Please speak with your child’s physician or therapist before making medical decisions. 📚 *My Children’s & Professional Physical Therapy Books* “P is for Poop and Pee Accidents” https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BLSRJ483 “A is for Anxiety” https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09LXQ3W6V “A is for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder” https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08QH9H5HR “C is for Cerebral Palsy” https://www.amazon.com/dp/B088TSJCYP “D is for Down Syndrome” https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079P8HH49 “A is for Autism” https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071F4FFTB “Pediatric Physical Therapy Strengthening Exercises for the Hips” https://www.amazon.com/dp/0998156736 “Pediatric Physical Therapy Strengthening Exercises for the Knees” https://www.amazon.com/dp/0998156760 “Pediatric Physical Therapy Strengthening Exercises for the Ankles” https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08TX2ZCFD My email: [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) I cannot provide treatment recommendations without evaluating your child. 🌍 *Captions* I review and correct all captions for accuracy. CC → Settings → Subtitles/CC → Auto-translate 👉🏽 Subscribe for daily videos and tap the 🔔