Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation
Moving forward with lung and heart conditions
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Breathe Easier with Cardiopulmonary Physical Therapy
If you have a lung condition or certain heart problems, you might struggle to get enough oxygen from the air you breathe. Pain from heart, lung, chest or abdominal surgery might make it difficult to breathe deeply, too. Even moving around might be hard for you.
Cardiopulmonary rehab at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) in Boston is designed to help with these respiratory challenges. It makes breathing easier so you can live life as fully as possible.
Cardiopulmonary Disorders We Treat
We can help with many cardiopulmonary conditions, including:
- Asthma
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- Congestive heart failure
- Emphysema
- Long COVID
- Lung cancer
- Pulmonary fibrosis
- Sarcoidosis
- Tracheobronchomalacia
Getting You the Oxygen You Need
Specially trained physical therapists lead your rehabilitation program. We can help your recovery after surgery. In some cases, we can even help you get ready for a planned operation. After surgery, or when you're dealing with a chronic condition, we advise you on how to begin or resume an exercise program.
Part of treatment includes assessing your oxygen levels. This helps us determine the amount of oxygen you need at home when resting or during activity. We help you get oxygen delivered to your home and work with you to design a home exercise program. We also try to make it easy to continue with the program for the long term. We want to see you improve your breathing and oxygen levels over time.
Physical Therapy Exercises & Treatments
Physical therapy can help improve symptoms and make movement easier. Depending on your lung and heart health, we may recommend:
- Conditioning exercises to improve your overall endurance.
- Exercises to help strengthen breathing muscles and retrain your breathing pattern.
- Strengthening exercises using weights, resistance bands or body weight resistance.
- Techniques to help you cough and clear mucus.
- Walking, cycling and using a treadmill or stationary bike.
Following treatment, we can help you transition to a community exercise program. Local YMCAs, health clubs or community centers may offer these services.
