Deep breathing after surgery

Many people feel weak and sore after surgery and taking big breaths can be uncomfortable. Your provider may recommend that you use a device called an incentive spirometer. If you do not have this device, you can still practice deep breathing on your own.

The following measures may be taken:

• Sit upright. It may help to sit at the edge of the bed with your feet hanging over the side. If you cannot sit like this, raise the head of your bed as high as you can.
• If your surgical cut (incision) is on your chest or belly, you may need to hold a pillow tightly over your incision. This helps with some of the discomfort.
• Take a few normal breaths, then take a slow, deep breath in.
• Hold your breath for about 2 to 5 seconds.
• Gently and slowly breathe out through your mouth. Make an "O" shape with your lips as you blow out, like blowing out birthday candles.
• Repeat 10 to 15 times, or as many times as your provider told you to.
• Do these deep-breathing exercises as directed by your provider.

Lung complications - deep breathing exercises; Pneumonia - deep breathing exercises

Yepuri N, Pruekprasert N, Cooney RN. Surgical complications. In: Townsend CM Jr, Beauchamp RD, Evers BM, Mattox KL, eds. Sabiston Textbook of Surgery. 21st ed. St Louis, MO: Elsevier; 2022:chap 12.

Updated by: Linda J. Vorvick, MD, Clinical Professor, Department of Family Medicine, UW Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.