Immediate Effect of Dry Cupping along side Breathing Exercises on Chest Wall Mobility in a Patient with COPD: A Case Report

Abstract

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is one of the most prevalent respiratory disorders, caused by the obstruction of the respiratory pathway. It is a progressive disease that worsens with time, but it is treatable. Physiotherapists are widely acknowledged to have a significant role in the care of patients suffering from respiratory disease. They employ a number of tactics targeted at reducing the labour of breathing, enhancing ventilation, promoting function, and providing dyspnoea alleviation. Chest physical therapy may include postural corrections to promote ventilation, secretory retention control, breathing and whole-body exercises to increase strength and function, and the use of adjuncts to improve lung function. Cupping therapy is one of the ancient healing methods. It is used on the skin by creating a negative pressure inside the cup through various devices. Many studies have shown that cupping therapy has promising preventive and therapeutic effects in a variety of pathological conditions, such as high fever due to upper respiratory tract infection, pulmonary dysfunctions in asthmatic children, type 2 diabetes mellitus, autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, hypertension, myocardial infarction, and cardiac arrhythmias, and chronic fatigue syndrome. Here, the authors reported a case of a 74-year-old male patient demonstrating the positive effect of cupping therapy, particularly dry dynamic cupping, along with physical exercise to improve chest expansion or thoracic expansion and improve well-being in a patient suffering from COPD.