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Inspiron
Excerpted from
Arnold
Jacobs: Song and Wind*
The incentive spirometer, or Inspiron [Inspirx®].
It is a device used in hospitals to give
respiratory patients a visual demonstration of how
much air they can inhale. While the instrument was
designed for inhalation, if it is turned upside
down, it can also be used for exhalation. There is
a gauge to measure resistance, with the most open
position providing the most resistance.
 Place
the tube between the teeth and on top of the
tongue so as not to obstruct the air passage. With
the gauge set to maximum resistance, inhale and
move the ball to the top. If there is a problem,
lower the resistance. Just before exhalation, turn
the Inspiron upside down and when exhaling, move
the ball to the top. Continue the
inhalation/exhalation series.
Keep inhalations and exhalations as slow as
possible and exaggerate. Next, lower the
resistance and keep the cycles as long as
possible. Reduce suction and control the ball.
Observe the body motions in a mirror.
Another use of the inspiron is in conjunction
with mouthpiece practice. Remove the large hose at
the base, replace with a four-inch rubber hose,
and place a mouthpiece in the other end. The
Inspiron must be upside down [the exhalation
position]. Adjust the resistance so the ball can
remain in the up position while buzzing several
notes on the mouthpiece. Imagine that the air
supporting the ball is a fountain of water--its
height will vary but it should not hit the bottom
between notes. The object is to play throughout
the range of the instrument while keeping the ball
suspended. When moving into the high range any
attempt to increase pressure while decreasing the
rate of air flow will cause the ball to drop. One
of the most important uses of the incentive spirometer is to teach the relaxed low
pressure/high flow rate concept of playing.
With any of these devices, remember that oxygen
is being breathed in and hyperventilation can
easily occur. Do only three or four
inhalation/exhalation cycles in a row. When
dizziness starts, rest for a few minutes and let
the oxygen content of the blood return to normal
levels.
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*Arnold Jacobs: Song and Wind. Copyright ©1996
by Brian Frederiksen. Printed in the United States
of America. All rights reserved. No part of this
book may be reproduced in any form or by any
electronic or mechanical means without permission
in writing from the author. |
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