Breathing is a skill that can be learned and trained.
I have worked in respiratory physiotherapy since 1996. My aim is not to hand you a single exercise, but to understand together where your breathing gets stuck and to build a measurable programme that gives you room in daily life.
For nearly thirty years I have asked the same question: where does this person's breathing get stuck?
I graduated from Hacettepe University's Faculty of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation in 1996 and began my career directly in respiratory physiotherapy. Over twenty-six years at Florence Nightingale Hospital, VKV American Hospital and Memorial Şişli Hospital I worked with a wide range of patients, from intensive care to outpatient follow-up.
During that time I completed international fellowship programmes with the American Association for Respiratory Care, seeing different models of respiratory care first-hand at Cincinnati Children's Hospital, Mayo Clinic and St. David's North Austin Medical Center. Since 2010 I have worked as an instructor and programme coordinator on the same association's training programmes in Türkiye.
Breathlessness is often treated as something to be endured. In most cases, however, there is an area that can be worked on, measured and improved.
- MSc in Hospital and Health Institutions Management and a PhD in Business Administration, Beykent University
- Member of the AARC, TÜSAD, the Turkish Thoracic Society and the Turkish Physiotherapy Association
- Invited speaker at the National Neurology Congress and the Neurorehabilitation Symposium
Respiratory physiotherapy is not a single exercise
Which technique is used depends on your diagnosis, your breathing pattern, your muscle strength and where breathing limits you in daily life. The areas below are those I work with most often.
What Is Respiratory Physiotherapy?
The field that assesses how you breathe, how your respiratory muscles work and how effective your cough is.
Read moreRespiratory Assessment
History, observation of breathing pattern, muscle strength measurement and functional testing.
Read morePulmonary Rehabilitation
A comprehensive programme combining exercise training, breathing techniques and disease management education.
Read moreRespiratory Physiotherapy in COPD
Building skill in coping with breathlessness through pursed-lip breathing, positioning and energy conservation.
Read moreBreathing Retraining in Asthma
Alongside medication, not instead of it: breathing pattern retraining, trigger management and exercise tolerance.
Read moreInspiratory Muscle Training (IMT)
Measurement-based resistance training for the diaphragm and accessory respiratory muscles.
Read moreAirway Clearance Techniques
ACBT, autogenic drainage, PEP devices and effective cough techniques for sputum that will not clear.
Read morePreoperative Respiratory Preparation
Preparing respiratory capacity before surgery and learning the postoperative routine while still pain-free.
Read moreRespiratory physiotherapy is not only for people with lung disease
Breathing is directly linked to muscle strength, posture, movement habits and stress. A respiratory assessment can therefore be meaningful for people arriving with very different pictures.
People with Breathlessness
People who run out of breath on stairs, while walking or while speaking, and whose exercise capacity has fallen.
Read morePeople with Chronic Lung Disease
People living with COPD, asthma, bronchiectasis or interstitial lung disease.
Read moreBefore and After Surgery
People scheduled for or recovering from cardiac, thoracic, upper abdominal or major orthopaedic surgery.
Read morePeople with Neurological Conditions
Respiratory muscle strength and cough effectiveness in ALS, MS, Parkinson's, stroke, SMA and muscle disorders.
Read moreBabies and Children
Children with recurrent chest infections, difficulty clearing secretions or congenital respiratory problems.
Read moreOlder Adults
Preserving respiratory capacity with age and working on the part that can still be improved.
Read moreAfter Intensive Care or Long Admission
People who have lost conditioning, muscle and respiratory capacity after prolonged immobility.
Read morePeople Without a Diagnosis
People who tire quickly, whose breathing tightens with stress, or who want to improve their performance.
Read moreWhat happens at the first appointment?
The decisive stage in respiratory physiotherapy is not the exercise but the assessment that precedes it. The same complaint can have very different mechanisms behind it, and the programme changes accordingly.
The four steps below outline the general flow of a first appointment. Which tests and techniques are used is determined by your individual situation.
A detailed history
When your symptoms began, what makes them better or worse, your diagnoses, your medication and where breathing limits you in daily life are all discussed in detail. Any lung function tests, imaging and medical reports are reviewed together.
Assessment of breathing pattern
We observe where the breath is taken from, whether the diaphragm is engaged, the rate and rhythm of breathing, whether accessory muscles are recruited, chest wall movement and posture. Cough effectiveness and secretions are also assessed.
Measurement and functional testing
Where appropriate, respiratory muscle strength measurement, breath-hold time, sit-to-stand and walking-based functional tests, and breathlessness and fatigue scales are used — so progress is tracked with numbers rather than impressions.
An individual programme and follow-up
Techniques, intensity and frequency are set from the assessment, and the home programme is given in writing. Measurements are repeated at intervals and the programme updated accordingly. Written feedback is sent to your doctor where needed.
I do not claim to improve what I have not measured
Progress in respiratory physiotherapy should not stop at “I feel better”. Where appropriate I use respiratory muscle strength measurement, breathlessness and fatigue scales, and sit-to-stand and walking-based functional tests.
That way we can see whether the programme is working and keep the intensity at the right point. Doing too much is as much of a problem as doing too little.
- A written home programme: what to do, how many repetitions and how often — in writing.
- Repeat measurements at intervals: the programme is not fixed; it is updated on the data.
- Alignment with your doctor: written feedback is sent where needed.
- No overstatement: no promises about outcome or duration; expectations are kept realistic.
Common questions
People living with chronic lung conditions such as COPD, asthma or bronchiectasis; those scheduled for or recovering from cardiac, thoracic or upper abdominal surgery; people whose respiratory muscle strength is affected by a neurological condition; children with recurrent chest infections; and adults with persistent breathlessness after an infection. A breathing pattern assessment can also be meaningful for people with no diagnosis who tire quickly. Suitability is determined individually.
No. Diagnosis is the doctor's responsibility. A physiotherapist assesses breathing pattern, muscle strength, cough effectiveness and functional capacity, plans a programme accordingly and refers back to the doctor when needed. The content on this website is general information, not a diagnosis or treatment recommendation.
Informative content can be useful for general awareness. However, which technique is used, at what intensity and how often depends on your diagnosis, breathing pattern and current capacity. A technique chosen wrongly or applied too intensively may not help. The programme is therefore best planned after a face-to-face assessment.
It would not be right to give one answer for everyone. The timeframe depends on the underlying picture, respiratory muscle strength, other conditions and — most of all — how regularly the programme is kept up at home. No promise is made about duration or outcome; progress is tracked with measurements repeated at intervals.
No. Respiratory physiotherapy runs alongside the treatment your doctor has planned, not instead of it. You should not stop your medication or change the dose because you have started physiotherapy; medication is adjusted only by your doctor.
Let us assess your breathing together
Whether your breathing pattern suits you can only be understood through a face-to-face assessment. Get in touch to request an appointment.