Massage for pneumonia for adults
During the pandemic, interest in massage for adults with pneumonia has increased, many want to do it at home. But it is important to find out its benefits and harm to the human body.

Pneumonia is a disease of the lungs resulting from an infection. Most pneumonia is caused by bacteria. But today we are faced with viral pneumonia caused by the coronavirus.

Pneumonia can affect one or both lungs, and symptoms can include fever, sweating, chills, cough, chest pain, headaches, and fatigue. Pneumonia can resemble a cold but cause death within 24 hours.

There are two main clinical goals that the massage therapist should consider when treating patients with pneumonia:

  • support for pulmonary drainage;
  • reduction of pulmonary inflammation.

The benefits of massage for pneumonia in adults

One of the most important aspects of the rehabilitation of patients with pneumonia is the immediate and effective drainage of the lungs. Inflammation of the bronchi and parenchyma (lung tissue) is accompanied by sputum production and its accumulation in the bronchial tree and alveoli. Phlegm not only creates problems for ventilation, but is also an ideal breeding ground for bacteria that can cause complications. Thus, effective sputum outflow is a key component of pulmonary rehabilitation in patients with pneumonia.

Given the sticky nature of sputum and its continuous secretion, effective lung drainage can only be achieved with percussion and vibration. These massage techniques are applied on the patient’s chest when he is in a special position for optimal drainage of the affected lobe of the lung. Inflammation in each lobe requires a specific body position to optimize the use of gravity for effective lung drainage – this allows mucus to separate from the walls of the bronchial tree and drain so that the patient can expectorate it.

Another equally important clinical aspect of massage therapy in cases of pneumonia is the ability to reduce lung inflammation with the help of internal viscero-somatic reflexes. In this case, the therapist acts on areas of the body that have the same innervation as the affected part of the lung, or eliminates the reflex zones that formed secondarily in the soft tissues as a physiological response to the initial pathological process in the lungs.

The massage therapist can achieve this in three ways:

Application of therapeutic massage. In this scenario, the practitioner uses a combination of intensive massage techniques, applying them in a specific order to the area of ​​the body whose nerves are connected to the affected lobe of the lung. During the session, he slowly increases the impact on soft tissues, using stimulating massage methods (friction, quick kneading, percussion).

Such intense stimulation triggers a motor response back to stimulated tissues in the form of prolonged hyperemia, that is, local vasodilation. At the same time, the motor response is delivered to areas of the lung that have the same innervation as the main target area and contributes to the reduction of pulmonary inflammation.

Segmental reflex massage (or similar methods). Using the methods and techniques of therapeutic massage, the doctor determines the presence and eliminates the reflex zones formed in the skin, fascia (connective tissues) and skeletal muscles.

Combination of two approaches. In this case, the massage therapist combines two approaches, including medical massage techniques in the treatment protocol. This is the most difficult option in pulmonary rehabilitation.

Harm of massage for pneumonia in adults

In the acute stage, while the inflammation is active, massage can not be done. Subsequently, the patient may be too weak, and the massage will also have to be abandoned. It can be done during the recovery phase – such a massage will focus on the respiratory muscles and reflex effects.

Massage therapy as a tool for pulmonary rehabilitation should be used when the patient is ready. Here are two main criteria that a doctor should use to determine the right time for a massage:

  • decrease in temperature – body temperature drops to normal;
  • productive cough – the patient begins to cough up sputum.

Massage contraindications for pneumonia in adults

There are a number of conditions associated with pneumonia where any type of massage therapy is contraindicated:

  • the initial period of pneumonia, when inflammation penetrates the lung tissue or until effective antibiotic therapy is started to control the initial inflammation;
  • lung abscess before it enters the recovery phase;
  • pleurisy complicated by pleural effusion (i.e., accumulation of fluid in the pleural cavity);
  • tachypnea – rapid breathing above 25 per minute;
  • pulmonary bleeding;
  • severe bronchospasm or a severe asthma attack that does not respond well to bronchodilator therapy).

How to massage adults with pneumonia at home

Therapeutic massage for pneumonia is carried out in a hospital where the patient treats pneumonia. At home, he can only continue the treatment he has begun. The first important rule of massage for medical purposes is the correct sequence of massaged areas of the body.

The patient will get the maximum clinical benefit if the doctor starts the session from the lower back. The next part of the session is to work on the areas of the body above the affected area, i.e. the upper neck and shoulders, and finally concentrate on the chest, which is the main therapeutic area where the soft tissues share nerves with the affected areas of the lung.

The basic duration of a massage session is 35-40 minutes. Two thirds of the session (approximately 20-25 minutes) is performed on the patient’s back, and one third (10-15 minutes) on the front surface. In general, one third or at least 10 minutes of the entire session should be spent on the main therapeutic area.

The course of therapy consists of 10-15 sessions, carried out daily or every other day.

Popular questions and answers

Answered questions related to massage for pneumonia doctor of physical therapy and sports medicine, traumatologist-orthopedist, rehabilitation specialist Georgy Temichev:

How effective is massage for pneumonia in adults?
In the acute stage of pneumonia, massage is contraindicated, since this is an inflammatory disease and the patient’s condition can worsen. If pneumonia is complicated by purulent discharge, postural drainages can be done, which also include massage techniques – tapping. In this case, they can be performed, the only thing that needs to be determined with the help of an x-ray, in which lobes of the lung are the lesions, and depending on this, the position of the patient during the massage is already determined.
When do adults massage with pneumonia?
The procedures are carried out at later stages, when the already acute inflammation has subsided, the condition has improved, but there is still quite a lot of sputum left in the lungs, and it is necessary for it to drain well.
To whom and when is such a massage prohibited?
It is as a remedy for pneumonia that massage is not used. And, moreover, in the acute period, when there is a temperature, this is a contraindication. Massage is useful during aftercare, recovery.

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