Comparison of Buteyko Technique and Pursed Lip Breathing in Asthma

Asthma is an inflammatory condition in which narrowing and swelling of the airways occur, accompanied with extra mucus production. This results in difficulty in breathing and triggers coughing, wheezing and dyspnea. In some cases asthma is a minor irritation, but on the other end of the spectrum it may interfered with activities of daily living and can even become life threatening in severe asthma attacks. According to a study conducted in Pakistan, the prevalence of asthma in adults was found to be 10.8% in adults, working in tanneries with 5.3% of them reporting their symptoms to be work related. Non-pharmacological management of asthma includes patient education, guidance and physiotherapy. It is suggested that physical therapy may have positive effects in patients with asthma, as they possess dysfunctional breathing patterns accompanied with poor physical condition. Numerous reviews by Cochrane have been published in the recent years regarding the effects of physical therapy in patients with asthma, focusing on the effects of numerous techniques including Alexander technique, manual therapy, physical training, breathing exercises and inspiratory muscle training. In terms of specific effects of different physical therapy treatment techniques in patients with asthma, in light of the existing literature, breathing exercises have found to improve quality of life, reduce symptoms of anxiety, depression and hyperventilation, and decrease respiratory rate and medication use. Moreover, inspiratory muscle training is found to improve symptoms, decrease medication use and also improve inspiratory pressure. Buteyko technique is a specialized breathing technique developed to reduce chronic hyperinflation. A pre and post design quasi experimental study conducted was conducted in 2014 to determine the effects of Buteyko breathing technique on asthma control and QOL in school aged children with asthma where Buteyko breathing technique group showed significant improvements terms of asthma control and quality of life. Based upon the review of the literature, evidence is inadequate in terms of comparison of Buteyko breathing technique with pursed lip breathing technique in the management of patients with asthma except for a single randomized controlled trial. For this reason the purpose of the current study is to compare the effects of Buteyko technique with pursed lip breathing in the management of patients with asthma.