Can anyone give me an answer to why when bending over or leaning forward I loose my breath and it takes awhile to recover much appreciated
Forward leaning: Can anyone give me an... - Lung Conditions C...
Forward leaning
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Help_61
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Im the same bending over to take few weeds out the garden or even fill the washer etc seems to make me breathless more than standing upright.
Think its to do with the lungs being inflated but not sure.
Someone will come along with lot more knowledge than me im sure X
I think the lungs are cramped up when you bend over, so harder for the air to get in, less room in the lungs (not very scientific!). But also if you have reflux, the so-called silent kind which many with copd have, where stomach acid can breach the upper oesophageal valve, the acid might be irritating your airways and making it harder to breathe.
Wen I bend over makes my breathing better n pushing a Tesco trolley don’t no y tho
Usually explained as it gives the ability to inhale deeper.it does mean use of upper back shoulder muscles,not the 'proper' way i.e. Using the diaphragm but if lungs are hyperinflated restricting diaphragm bending forward helps.
Hi
Bending such as for gardening or picking items up from the floor, restricts the movement of the diaphragm which with your overinflated lungs increases breathlessness.
Using a supermarket trolley for support is not the same, you legs are still straight and your upper body is aligned with you lower body supported by the trolley.
You can purchase gardening hand tools with with longer handles, which you can use from a more upright position.
If you have to bend over for a few moments breathe out not in. Most breathe in which cramps their stomach and makes it harder to recover. If you have no air in your diaphram then you recover quicker. x
Thanks I’ll try that👍
Bending is murder. I get out of breath putting a bowl of cat food on the floor. Putting shopping away in the fridge i have to divide it into three with a rest between. Taking something out of the fridge is hard. I can't get to the back of the shelf. I have things in tubs which makes it much easier, one tub for cheese, one for salad.I'd have thought that I'd be able to sit on the grass, lean forward and do some weeding, but no. Bending is the worst thing for me by miles
It is because all copd sufferers, get what is loosely termed"long lung", it is caused by the elasticity of your lungs, a bit like a balloon blown up and down all the time, eventually, it stretches out of shape!
Your ribs usually protect your lungs from anything compressing them, but with them being stretched from sucking air in and out, & straining in doing so, they 'hang down' below the ribs,so, when you bend to sit or whatever, you squash the lungs against the diaphragm!
Remember, you don't have a lot of room in your torso as it is, same principle when you eat, & can't eat it all at once, because you don't have the room anymore!
and yes I did find that out with eating I have been told by my specialist that my left lower lung is just flapping around as I’ve had 2 lots of pneumonia and sepsis the pneumonia was in the left lower lobe I had 3 fractured ribs and 4 crushed vertebrae and a fracture in my spine When I had sepsis they thought I would not make it till morning
Hi, Help_61 . I struggle to, putting shoes and socks on tricky and cutting toe nails etc. I was told, crushing lungs bending movement, less oxygen . I try to keep my feet etc elevated when doing these tasks.
😥👍
Have you tried sitting and crossing your legs to tie shoelaces, same with cutting toenails? Much easier 
Most of us can't get down to cross legs, it's part of the Condition, and yes , I know we have to try things, But Flexibility like this isn't one of them. But, Thanks for your Advise. xx
Not supple enough
If you are in the UK and over 55 you can get Age concern to help with cutting toe nails. Look them up. There is a waiting list but once you are on the list you get your nails trimmed every 6 weeks (£16 a time ). If you have foot problems they suggest a chiropodist.
Very unusual, it is supposed to be the opposite. When you have bouts of SOB it is recommended to lean forward and do pursed lip breathing. I suggest you speak with your lung doctor about this at a guess I would be looking at something out of place or a diaphragm obstruction.
Hi I am the same when tying laces ,my nurse told me it's my stomach pushing my lungs up as there is no where for them to go. They get compressed so you can't get air into them.
You bend over more when putting shoes on than gardening she reckons.
Regards
Eian
Well that’ll be right stomach has got larger since I cannot exercise much and too many steroids
Help_61 that's the problem with steroids.
The way it was explained to me was is as COPD progresses the lungs get longer and invades the space normally occupied by the diaphragm. So as you lean forward the diaphragm squeezes the lower lungs reducing the ability to draw in air properly. I also have problems with shortness of breath when stretching up. This is caused by the neck and shoulders being called in to assist drawing in air into our feeble lungs. I hope this helps. Have a good day
👍
Bending is different to leaning forward and supporting yourself on something like a work surface in the kitchen. They teach that in PR as a means of opening the lungs and making breathing easier.
Hi
Apparently the supply of air to the lungs is temporarily cut off and this is quite normal, according to my practice nurse. She says that this can happen to anyone, even those without any respiratory problems and that, apart from the discomfort, is nothing to worry about.
Regards
Kevin
Thanks 👍
OOH ! - THATS A STRANGE ONE HELP61 = I FIND QUITE THE OPPOSITE !! , AND THE BLF PRINTED THREE PHOTOGRAPHS SOME TIME AGO OF = " THREE POSITIONS TO ADOPT TO HELP EASE IN LOSS OF BREATHING " .... AND THEY ALL DEPICTED A CHAP EITHER LEANING FORWARD OVER A TABLE , LEANING OVER THE BACK OF THE CHAIR , AND SITTING ON A CHAIR , AGAIN LEANING SLIGHTLY FORWARD WITH HANDS AND FOREARMS ON YOUR KNEES ...! ... I'VE COME TO THE CONCLUSION WITH THIS ILLNESS - WE ARE ALL DIFFERENT ! , WHAT WORKS FOR ONE , DOES'NT SEEM WORK FOR ANOTHER ! .... = WE'RE A FUNNY LOT WE HUMANS !!....- I OFTEN WONDER IF THESE DIFFERENCES APPLY TO ANIMALS !...- HAVE ASKED MY OLD MOGGY , BUT HE'S STILL WORKING ON IT !! ...I KNOW THIS DOES'NT HELP MUCH HELP61 , BUT I SHOW YOU THE TIMES ....= GOOD LUCK ...- A FELLOW PUFFER ! ..
Hi
What is being referred to, is the bending required to, tie your shoe laces, or kneeling on the floor then bending forward as in gardening. Or when you bend so your upper body comes parallel or lower than you waist.
Bending as you have mentioned is keep the upper body straight in relation to your lower body whether standing or seated. Basically taken weight of the body. Giving your lungs maximum use of the available space to inflate.
AH ! THANKS FOR THAT MORE DETAILED EXPLANATION ! ... YES INDEED = PUTTING ME SOCKS ON IN THE MORNING IS A " KILLER " !....HMM I REALLY DON'T KNOW WHAT THE REMEDY FOR THIS IS ., APART FROM GETTING ANOTHER GOOD SOUL (FORGIVE THE PUN ! ) TO HELP !..GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR "SOCCY " MOMENTS !..
Hi
One method is to inhale, bend on the exhale, if not complete stop sit up take a few breaths then repeat. Becomes easy with practice.
The stop and go breathing technique can be used in many situations. Dressing, bathing, walking up stairs .
Even making a brew, stop to inhale go on the exhale.
I have asthma, and find bending from the hip can be fine ..even improves bouts of breathlessness - but if I bend from the middle it does seem to squash my lungs and cause me to get out of breath, even when I've just walked up stairs without a problem.
The other thing that causes it is if I get bloating/distension from gastric problems such as the ones I get if I use steroids, or have ibs bothering me.
I had the same bad breathing problems after having ulcerative colitis until it was under control and distension from steroids went away.
It's as though the stomach is pushing the lungs up and squashing them.
Can’t give you an answer but as I experience the same problem will be interested in the replies you receive.
It works the other way for me, when i get breathless i lean forward, it takes pressure off my lungs and i find it easier to breath
I find bending forward slightly is helpful when breathless,When I was in hospital with pneumonia I was told to lean forward over a pillow on the table in front of me to ease my breathing which was a massive relief.I have even climbed my stairs on a bad day leaning forwards with my hands on the steps above and in front of me and clambered slowly up.This has got me to the top on occasions when I was really struggling to get there.Need to be careful when getting upright,take it slow.
Picking things up from the floor,putting shoes/socks on,foot care etc definately a struggle.If a job requires repeated bending like emptying the washing machine,tucking in sheets etc I get down on my knees and stay down till its is done.[luckily my knees are holding out longer than my lungs have ! ] I used to put items one by one down into my shopping trolley and take them breathless out one by one when I got home.A friend suggested I put a few items in separate bags and lower them in and lift them out with their handles when home.A simple tip i had never even thought of but sure saves some precious breath.xx
Thank you for sharing.... Anther tip: I purchased an inch thick foam garden knee pad to kneel on inside the house when needing to straighten lower cabinets, anything that requires me to bend to reach.
Help_61...I'm of the understanding the cause for the discomfort when bending forward to lace shoes, for example, is that with emphysema the elasticity of our lungs is gone so they remain hyperinflated (don't collapse like normal) and now rest on and push down on the diaphragm. The diaphragm shows up in radiograph as a straight horizontal line instead of a normal arc shape.
Thus when we bend over, the lungs and diaphragm are more or less pushed together, leaving less viable air space for O2 and CO2 exchange.
I think when you bend over you squeeze all your insides up. You might be a bit bloated. Don't panic, take a bit of exercise
Yep I think your right
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