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Exercises for a Patient With Flail Chest

A flail chest is a condition that occurs where a portion of the chest becomes detached from the remainder of the structure and becomes free to move independently. This can lead to symptoms of respiratory impairment, which can potentially lead to the development of diseases such as pneumonia. A flail chest requires a long period of rehab, during which time a nurse or physical therapist will often perform passive range of motion exercises to keep the other muscles of the body in condition.

  1. Range of Motion Exercises

    • Understand that passive range of motion exercises are merely a stopgap measure used while the patient recovers from his injury. During passive range of motion exercises, the patient's limbs will be manipulated by a third party to ensure that the muscles do not atrophy to an unreasonable degree. Passive range of motion training will typically be performed on the extremities (arms and legs) daily or twice daily for the duration of rehabilitation, according to information from Medical-Dictionary.com.

    Elbow Bends

    • Perform elbow bends to allow the patient's arms to remain mobile throughout the recovery period from a flail chest. To perform elbow bends, grip the patient's arm (keeping it by his side) and turning it so that the palm is facing toward the ceiling. Initiate the movement by bending the arm gently at the elbow until the fingertips lightly touch the shoulder. Repeat this drill 10 to 20 times per session on both sides of the body. After performing that variation, extend the arm out laterally to the side, keeping it at a 90-degree angle to the body and repeating the drill again to work the elbow through another range.

    Knee Rotations

    • Perform knee rotations to keep the lower body limber during the immobile portion of the recovery period. Manually grip the lower leg, bending it at the knee until the foot is fully rested on the bed with the leg at a 45-degree angle. Initiate the movement by gently pushing inward at the knee, creating rotation at the hip and bringing the knee across the body to brush against the other leg or the bed. Reverse the movement, pushing the knee to the outside to work the hip joint in both directions. Move slowly to avoid accidentally injuring the patient, repeat the drill for 10 to 20 times in both directions before switching and repeating the exercise with the other leg.

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