Inspiratory muscle problems can stem from a wide range of medical conditions that weaken the respiratory system. Your respiratory system has inspiratory and expiratory muscles, which help you breathe. If your muscles weaken, it affects your breathing.
You’ll learn about the medical conditions that can cause inspiratory muscle problems and the solution that can help you improve your breathing by strengthening your respiratory muscles.
The Causes of Inspiratory Muscle Problems
Following is a list of medical conditions that cause inspiratory muscle problems in people:
1. Asthma
Asthma is a chronic respiratory condition that makes it difficult to breathe due to inflamed airways. Symptoms of asthma include wheezing, shortness of breath, dry cough, and chest tightness. Infections and pollution can cause a person to experience an asthma attack.
Although most people develop asthma at a young age, some people develop the medical condition in their 60s, 70, and 80s. People with asthma can use a respiratory training device to improve their breathing flow rates.
2. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease or COPD is a term used to describe several different respiratory conditions that make people breathless and make it difficult for them to exhale. Symptoms of COPD include coughing up sputum or mucus from their lungs and shortness of breath.
Body deterioration and the aging process can also cause a person to experience the same symptoms as COPD, which is why the medical condition often goes undiagnosed for years. A person who is in their 30s or 40s is more likely to develop COPD, with the condition worsening when they are in their 50s, 60s, and 70s.
People who smoke regularly are more at risk of developing this medical condition. People with severe COPD may find it difficult to perform daily activities. Treatment options for treating the medical condition include quitting smoking, bronchodilator therapy, a medicine for opening the airways, pulmonary rehabilitation, which is an exercise program, and a respiratory training device for strengthening their inspiratory and expiratory muscles.
People can use the respiratory training device at home and with the approval of their doctor. They need to use it as part of their overall treatment program. COPD is a grave respiratory illness, which continues to worsen. Using a respiratory training device can prove helpful in strengthening their respiratory muscles. The device is safe for prolonged use.
3. Chronic Bronchitis
Chronic bronchitis comes under the category of COPD and is a chronic cough. People who cough up sputum or mucus from their lungs in the morning may suffer from chronic bronchitis. This medical condition causes the mucus glands to generate more mucus in their airways, causing the patients to cough up the extra mucus.
A person can develop acute chronic, which often goes away, as it’s not a disease but an infection. A bacterial or viral infection causes people to develop acute bronchitis, which can be treated with medication.
People with chronic or acute bronchitis may display weakened inspiratory and expiratory muscles, which a respiratory training device can improve and strengthen. After their condition resolves, their breathing muscles will take time to recover. People can speed up the recovery time by investing in a respiratory training device.
4. Emphysema
Emphysema is a chronic respiratory condition and also comes under the umbrella of COPD. Smokers are at a higher risk of developing the disease. People with this medical condition may experience difficulty exhaling air through their lungs.
Smoking damages the air sacs found in the lungs, damaging them to a point where they cannot repair on their own. The medical condition can cause respiratory failure, with people requiring more oxygen to breathe properly.
This respiratory illness gradually worsens over the years. There is no treatment for this medical condition. Still, people can slow down its progression by quitting smoking and using a respiratory training device under the direction and approval of a doctor to improve their breathing and enhance their muscles.
5. COVID-19
Another illness that has surfaced is COVID-19, which is also responsible for labored breathing. It is a respiratory condition that is part of the family of viruses known as coronaviruses. The virus targets both animals and humans and originated from Wuhan, China. The virus spreads from person to person, given they are in close contact with each other or have touched the same surface.
The virus spreads through droplets released when a person infected with it sneezes, talks, or coughs. The main symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, cough, and shortness of breath. If you notice any of these symptoms, you need to get tested for the virus and if you have it, quarantine yourself for at least 14 days.
Since it affects your breathing, it weakens your respiratory system. Even after you have recovered from the virus, you may experience inspiratory muscle problems. You can invest in a respiratory training device to help your respiratory system recover and regain its lost strength.