Physiotherapy Management of Adults With Breathing Pattern Disorders: A Scoping Review
Date
Authors
Stewart, Abby
Ellis, Richard
Mooney, Sarah
Supervisor
Item type
Journal Article
Degree name
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Informa UK Limited
Abstract
Introduction: Breathing pattern disorders (BrPD) are recognised as prevalent and debilitating, often occurring secondary to conditions such as asthma and anxiety. Physiotherapy, particularly breathing retraining, is a core treatment for BrPD, however, physiotherapy management remains poorly defined. This scoping review aimed to map and summarise literature on physiotherapy management in adults with BrPD. Methods: The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews and Joanna Briggs Institute methodology framed this review. Sources published in English from 1975 onwards including adults with BrPD and physiotherapy management approaches were eligible, without restriction on source of evidence. Comprehensive searches were conducted across eight databases and grey literature. Results: A total of 137 sources were included. Physiotherapy BrPD management commonly involved breathing retraining (99%), with frequent inclusion of relaxation (49%) and education (47%). Delivery was predominantly face-to-face and one-on-one, with growing use of self-directed delivery formats. Discussion: Physiotherapy management of BrPD is multifaceted and anchored by breathing retraining, supported by adjunctive education, relaxation, and self-management. Considerable variability was found in treatment components and delivery models. Physiotherapists are well placed to lead BrPD management. Future research should focus on robust intervention and outcome reporting for this challenging and costly condition.Description
Keywords
4201 Allied Health and Rehabilitation Science, 42 Health Sciences, 6.7 Physical, 1103 Clinical Sciences, 1106 Human Movement and Sports Sciences, 4207 Sports science and exercise, Breathing pattern disorder, physiotherapy, management, scoping review
Source
Physical Therapy Reviews, ISSN: 1083-3196 (Print); 1743-288X (Online), Informa UK Limited, 1-12. doi: 10.1080/10833196.2026.2668305
Publisher's version
Rights statement
© 2026 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, and is not altered, transformed, or built upon in any way.