Respiratory Physiotherapy
What is Respiratory Physiotherapy?
Respiratory Physiotherapy (also known as Chest Physiotherapy or Cardiorespiratory Physiotherapy) is a specialised area of physiotherapy that helps people with breathing problems or lung conditions improve their respiratory function and quality of life.
Long COVID – Support with breathlessness, fatigue, pacing, and breathing retraining
COPD & Other Lung Conditions – Pulmonary rehab, airway clearance techniques, and breathlessness management
Cystic Fibrosis – Specialist respiratory physiotherapy including airway clearance and exercise support
Patients on LTOT (Long-Term Oxygen Therapy) – Safe physical activity guidance and breathlessness strategies
Post-Surgical Recovery – For patients with reduced endurance or respiratory complications, especially after thoracic or abdominal surgery
Deconditioning – For those with limited activity tolerance due to respiratory compromise
Pediatrics – Support for children with asthma, congenital lung conditions, or neuromuscular-related breathing challenges
What Happens in Respiratory Physiotherapy?
Respiratory physiotherapy helps improve breathing and clear the lungs. During a session, a physiotherapist might:
Teach breathing exercises to improve lung expansion and efficiency (like deep breathing or diaphragmatic breathing).
Use airway clearance techniques to help clear mucus or phlegm from the lungs (e.g. huffing, coughing techniques).
Use positioning (like lying in certain ways) to help drain mucus from specific parts of the lungs—this is called postural drainage.
Use devices such as a flutter valve, acapella, or incentive spirometer to help open airways and mobilise secretions.
Guide physical activity or exercise to build up strength and stamina, especially in people with chronic conditions like COPD or after surgery.
Long COVID – Support with breathlessness, fatigue, pacing, and breathing retraining
If you’ve been struggling with breathlessness, coughing, or fatigue since having COVID, you’re definitely not alone. Many people find their symptoms hang around long after the infection is gone — something often called Long COVID.
That’s where respiratory physiotherapy can really make a difference.
It’s a type of physio that focuses on your breathing and lung health. A lot of people with Long COVID develop unhelpful breathing patterns, or lose confidence to be active again — and that’s completely understandable. Our job is to help you retrain your breathing, rebuild your stamina, and get back to feeling more like yourself.
Some of the main ways respiratory physiotherapy can help include:
Breathing re-education
Airway clearance
Graded exercise
Fatigue and pacing strategies
Confidence and reassurance
Long COVID recovery can be frustrating, but you don’t have to tackle it alone. With the right support and a bit of patience, your breathing and fitness can absolutely improve.
Read our Blog to Read MoreFor more information, please complete the short form below
What is Respiratory and how can Xcel Health help me?
Know Your Pain
GOOGLE REVIEWS
"Just finished a course of physiotherapy on a calf injury at Xcel Health and can't praise them enough. Friendly, welcoming and professional staff and my physio Xavier has been excellent throughout, providing great treatment and advice. This isn't my first visit to Xcel Heath and when I found that I needed treatment, there was only one place I was looking to go. Highly recommend."
- Mark Bullen, 2 weeks ago
"We recently moved down from London having used the same physio for years who was excellent. Over the past 3 years I have tried three physiotherapists in the Sittingbourne area and I have finally found through a friend's recommendation probably the best one of all. I was treated by Xavier who completely cured an extremely painful back which I've had for years following surgery I can't thank him enough and would highly recommend Xcel."
- Stephen Quirke, 3 weeks ago
"Hi, I'm Carolyne Holding and I've recently had a course of physio treatment at Xcel health. I've had problems with kneck & shoulder pain/tension and have found my treatment at Xcel most beneficial. I cannot thank them enough. I would certainly recommend their practice to anyone. And finally a very big thankyou to Desiree Vaz who treated me"
- robert holding, 3 weeks ago
"I have had several sessions with Desiree and she has been so helpful!! Came to see her with a strained thumb joint that was causing me severe pain for months. A few sessions with her along with the exercises she gave me and I no longer have any pain in my hand!! Would definitely recommend Xcel Health to friends and family."
- Nicola Smith, a months ago
"My experience at Xcel Health was wonderful. The staff are welcoming, friendly, hospitable and professional. My practitioner was Anagha Chandrashekhar and she is very good at what she does. She made all my physio sessions interesting and helpful. She taught me some new exercises which helped to alleviate the pain in my back and strengthen my biceps. She is very calm, patient and friendly. Every session I attended was good and no complaints. I will definitely recommend Xcel Health to friends."
- Oluwasesan Adamolekun, a months ago
"I had my first treatment with V. She was amazing, she made me feel relaxed, talked me through each stage in terminology I understood and I left in a lot less pain than I arrived with! I can’t recommend V enough. Thank you!"
- Eve S, 2 months ago
"Xcel Health is amazing! My son (age 8) first had treatment there and amazing and big improvements. So helpful. I am having treatment for my ankle and walking issues with Xavier. The pain has gone from 10(being the worst) to 4 and that’s in four appointments. I can now walk without pain, put shoes without pain and now go back too exercise!! I can even go running without pain. Xavier is great and makes me feel comfortable and explains everything in detail."
- Rebecca King, 3 months ago
"I have just had my third session with Xavier and am beyond delighted with my experience of Xcel Health. Xavier is a tremendous physio but what has struck me most about the whole process is the welcoming nature of the entire team.The guys clearly care about the mental health side as much as the physical and are easy to talk to and extremely empathetic.I would recommend Xcel to anybody, outstanding service!"
- Danny Essen, 3 months ago
"I was pretty confident I knew what the problem was when I arrived for my first appointment. It turned out to be something completely different.Xavier explained everything really well without going too technical. I like to understand what’s going on and how to fix it so it was really refreshing that Xavier did that without needing to ask him. I have exercises to help support my recovery but not just a bit of paper or a video to watch, Xavier asked me to do each exercise before I left so that I could feel what muscles I’m trying to engage and He could make adjustments to my positioning so that I get the most out of my effort."
- louisajayne, 3 months ago
"Xcel Health is amazing! My son (age 8) first had treatment there and amazing and big improvements. So helpful. I am having treatment for my ankle and walking issues with Xavier. The pain has gone from 10(being the worst) to 4 and that’s in four appointments. I can now walk without pain, put shoes without pain and now go back too exercise!! I can even go running without pain. Xavier is great and makes me feel comfortable and explains everything in detail."
- Rebecca King, 3 months ago
