A person with COPD has a large amount of mucus in their lungs, massage treatments help dissolve and sometimes even eliminate most of the mucus build up in the lungs, which is the main complaint from patients with COPD.
Massaging the area of the lungs will increase blood flow to the area and ultimately provide relief.
Massage therapy is known to be the sole medical modality capable of eliminating protective tension in the respiratory muscles, restore elasticity of the soft tissue, and help maintain elastic recoil during respiration.
The ultimate goal for massage therapy in COPD patients is to address the soft tissue of the thoracic cage layer by layer. This eliminates tension build up in the respiratory muscles and in the end provides instant and long-term relief to patients who are suffering.