Dr. Arthur Clifton Guyton, considered one of the father’s of modern medicine, said, “All chronic pain, suffering, and diseases are caused by a lack of oxygen at the cell level.” Since breathing is the vehicle to deliver oxygen to those cells, every system is potentially affected by disordered breathing. As clinicians, it is our job to thoroughly evaluate these patients in order to appropriately treat them. This presentation will delve into the influence of the thoracic region on breathing, its effect on the entire system, and an interdisciplinary model for effective patient care.

Jane Lucas is a physical therapist who graduated with her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from   the Medical University of South Carolina in 2013, completed a residency with the Institute of Physical Art in 2015, and finished a fellowship accredited by the American Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapy in 2021. During the fellowship, she discovered a passion for respiratory manual physical therapy and presented it at the AAOMPT national conference in 2021. She plans to start a research project this summer to assess the effects of respiratory manual physical therapy on patients with Long COVID symptoms by partnering with the Fulbright US Scholar program and 2 highly respected medical universities in the south of India.

1 CE credit available to AAPMD members