Lung exerciser, any thoughts please

[Hazel1010]

I was thinking about buying one of these devices but wondered if anyone had actually benefited from them as you never no who writes the feedback .

I don’t expect to run a marathon but due to bit of a heart wobble I’ve not been walking as much and thought this might help my capacity a bit .

[Tugun]

Hi Hazel,

My doctor swears by them but as yet I have been too lazy to keep up the practice. I do remember hearing about a 70 year-old man who had Covid at the beginning of the pandemic and he basically put his improvement down to the practice he put in to strengthening his lungs. So worth a try. Singers and surfers develop their lung capacity so it's probably a good idea that we should as well. It won't stop asthma but better lung capacity is not a bad goal.

[Clareykc]

In France they use respiratory physio way more than they do here - I was hospitalised over there and they couldn’t believe that I had never done any lung exercises. But they had no special equipment, just exercises you can do anywhere like the one where you inhale and then exhale as if you are whistling silently, taking as long as possible to do so. They also recommended putting a tube into a water bottle and exhaling into that as the water creates resistance that strengthens your lungs. It is weird the way different countries address asthma differently.

[Hazel1010 in reply to Clareykc]

Thank you , I’ll have a look for some exercises

[Poobah]

I was using a resistance device but now use Buteyko exercises (I'm a habitual mouth breather). But I know that some physios recommend the training device called an incentive spirometer (with 3 balls in vertical tubes). Both the resistance breathing device (about £ 11) and the training device (£13) are available on Amazon. There are expensive handheld resistance devices for £60+ but having tried them, they're are no more effective than the £11 version.

So it depends on what you're trying to achieve. I attach a video that explains what the incentive spirometer does and how to use it. youtu.be/SWQA93wdT-k(Not working as expected?)

[Hazel1010 in reply to Poobah]

Brilliant thank you

[lucy_felton in reply to Poobah]

That's interesting. My Dad had one of these after his heart bypass, but his was a version that you could use one way for inhalation and t'other for exhalation.

[Frued in reply to Poobah]

Hiya, I have the incentive spirometer, I find it helpful and it literally gives u a visual on how your getting on , and it’s pretty cheap

[PeakyBlinder50 in reply to Poobah]

I looked for the one in the picture and it's £30.00 do you have a link to the ones you bought please?

[Poobah in reply to PeakyBlinder50]

Link to a variety of prices for incentive spirometer, amazon.co.uk/s?k=incentive+...

[Poobah in reply to PeakyBlinder50]

And resistance breathing device, amazon.co.uk/Ultrabreathe-A...

[Hazel1010]

Thank you 😊