Respiratory kinesiotherapy techniques for clearing the airways: description and applicability

Abstract

The present study aims to characterize the main physiotherapeutic techniques used to clear airways and promote tracheobronchial hygiene. This is a bibliographical research, of the narrative type, carried out between June and September 2023, including studies published in the Google Scholar and Scielo databases, in the years 2018 to 2023, as well as bibliographic works that addressed the theme. and could contribute to the proposed discussions. Although there is already a wide range of respiratory kinesiotherapy techniques described in the literature, a group of techniques stand out in the selected studies, being widely addressed and discussed, above all, because they are effective during physiotherapeutic treatment. Among the techniques presented in the scientific literature, vibrocompression, autogenous drainage, Total Slow Expiration with Open Glottis, coughing (assisted or provoked) and manual hyperinflation constitute the group of maneuvers with the highest number of mentions, mainly due to the effectiveness and low cost. However, although more present, it is noteworthy that there are few more recent articles that describe them, which can lead to discrepancies between the way it is applied, as well as its results, making it essential to carry out more studies on the subject.