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Breathing exercises and spirometry after surgery | CION Cancer Clinics
After surgery, pain and lying down make you take small, shallow breaths, and parts of the lungs can close and collect mucus. Breathing exercises and an incentive spirometer, a small device that shows how deep each breath is, keep the lungs open and lower the chance of a chest infection. This page shows how to use it, the other exercises you may learn, and what to report straight away. CION Cancer Clinics’ surgical oncologists in Hyderabad can talk this through with you.
MI
Medically reviewed by Dr. Mohammed ImaduddinConsultant Surgical Oncologist · MBBS, MS (General Surgery), MCh (Surgical Oncology) · last reviewed September 2026, next review due September 2027
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On this page
- Why are you given breathing exercises after surgery?
- How do you use an incentive spirometer?
- What other breathing exercises will you be taught?
- What do the chest words on the ward mean?
- Do breathing exercises really make a difference?
- What if you cannot do them, and what can this page not tell you?
- Common questions about breathing exercises after surgery
The short answer
Why are you given breathing exercises after surgery?
Breathing exercises keep your lungs fully open after an operation, when pain and lying down make you take small, shallow breaths. The small plastic device you may be given, an incentive spirometer, simply shows you how deep each breath is so you can keep doing it properly.
What goes wrong without them
After anaesthesia and a painful wound, most people breathe from the top of the chest and avoid coughing. The small air spaces at the bottom of the lungs begin to close, and mucus collects there. That can lead to a low oxygen level, a fever or a chest infection, which slows recovery and can keep you in hospital longer.
Who needs them most
The exercises matter most after operations on the chest or the upper abdomen, after long operations, and for people who smoke, have a lung condition, are overweight or are older. But almost everyone having a major operation is asked to do them, because they are simple and carry very little risk.
If you smoke, stopping before surgery helps your lungs more than anything on this page. Ask your team for help to stop.Step by step
How do you use an incentive spirometer?
Sit up straight
Sit on the edge of the bed or in a chair, or as upright as you can in bed. Hold the device upright at eye level so you can see the marker or ball.
Breathe out, then seal
Breathe out normally. Close your lips firmly around the mouthpiece. Hold a small pillow over your wound if it is on your chest or tummy.
Breathe in slowly and deeply
Suck in slowly, as if through a straw, so the marker rises steadily. Try to reach the level your physiotherapist set. Hold the breath for a few seconds if you can.
Rest, repeat, then cough
Take the mouthpiece out and breathe normally for a moment. Repeat as many times as the team advised, then give a supported cough to clear any mucus.
Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologistWithout a device
What other breathing exercises will you be taught?
Not every centre uses a spirometer, and you do not need one for these. The physiotherapist will show you which to do and how often.
Deep breathing
Breathe in slowly through your nose, letting your tummy and lower ribs rise. Hold for a moment, then breathe out gently through your mouth. Do a few in a row.
Supported coughing
Press a folded towel or pillow firmly over your wound, take a deep breath and cough strongly once or twice. The support makes it far less painful and helps clear mucus.
Huffing
Take a medium breath and push the air out fast through an open mouth, as if steaming up a mirror. It moves mucus upwards with less strain on the wound than a full cough.
Sitting up and moving
Sitting upright and walking are breathing exercises too. Your lungs open more fully out of bed than lying flat.
Easy ways to fit it in
- A few deep breaths during every advert break
- A set each time you wake
- A set before and after each walk
Words you will hear
What do the chest words on the ward mean?
- Incentive spirometer
- A small plastic device with a marker or balls that rise as you breathe in. It shows how deep each breath is.
- Atelectasis
- Small parts of the lung that have closed down and stopped filling with air. It is common after surgery and often improves with deep breathing and moving.
- Oxygen saturation
- The number on the finger clip that shows how much oxygen your blood is carrying. The team watches whether it is steady or falling.
- Chest physiotherapy
- Breathing exercises, coughing and positioning taught by a physiotherapist to keep the lungs clear.
- Sputum
- Mucus coughed up from the chest. The colour and amount help the team judge whether there is an infection.
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Commonly believed
Do breathing exercises really make a difference?
"Coughing will burst the stitches."
Wounds are closed to cope with coughing. Holding a pillow firmly over the wound makes it feel much safer and hurt less. Not coughing is the bigger risk, because mucus then stays in the lungs.
"My lungs were fine before surgery, so I do not need this."
Healthy lungs still close down in places after anaesthesia and a painful wound. The exercises help people with normal lungs recover too, not only those with a chest problem.
"Once I hit the target, I can stop."
Reaching the level once shows you can do it. The benefit comes from repeating it through the day, until you are walking about freely. Ask the team when you can do fewer.
"Oxygen through the nose does the same job."
Oxygen raises the level in your blood, but it does not open closed parts of the lung or clear mucus. Deep breaths and coughing do that, so both matter.
!
Tell the nurse straight away
Stop the exercises and call for help if you feel sudden breathlessness, chest pain, pain when breathing in, a racing heart, or if you cough up blood. The same applies to feeling faint or dizzy during the exercise that does not pass with rest. At home, these need the nearest emergency department the same day, not a wait for the next appointment.
Being straight with you
What if you cannot do them, and what can this page not tell you?
Some people find the exercises very hard at first. Pain is the usual reason, and the answer is better pain relief, not skipping the exercises. Ask for pain relief before a session. People who are confused, very drowsy or have hearing or eyesight problems may need a family member or nurse to guide each breath.
When the plan is different
After some operations on the head, neck, throat or lungs, you may be given special instructions, or told not to use a spirometer at all. If you have a breathing tube in your neck, the team will teach a different method. Follow their instructions over this page.
What we cannot tell you here
This page cannot tell you what number you should reach, how many times a day you need to do the exercises, or whether a cough or fever is a sign of infection. Those depend on your operation, your lungs and your observations. Ask your physiotherapist to write your target and routine down, so family members can remind you.
Keep the spirometer when you go home if the team suggests it, and keep up the exercises until you are fully active again.Questions we are asked
Common questions about breathing exercises after surgery
How often should I use the incentive spirometer?
Your physiotherapist or nurse will set a routine that suits your operation. It is usually a small set of slow, deep breaths repeated regularly through the waking day, rather than one long session. Ask them to write down how often and how many, so you and your family can keep track.
What number should the marker reach?
There is no single target for everyone. It depends on your age, height, lungs and the operation. The team may set a level before surgery or on the first day. Aim to reach it steadily, and do not worry if it is low at first. It usually rises as pain eases.
Is it normal to feel dizzy while doing it?
A little light-headedness can happen if you breathe too fast. Slow down and rest between breaths. If dizziness does not pass, or comes with chest pain or breathlessness, stop and tell the nurse straight away. That needs checking.
It hurts too much to cough. What can I do?
Hold a folded towel or pillow firmly against the wound before you cough. Try huffing instead of a full cough. Ask for pain relief before a session, not after pain has built up. If pain still stops you coughing, tell the team, because they can review what you are being given.
I am coughing up mucus. Is that a bad sign?
Coughing up some clear or pale mucus is common and means the exercises are working. Tell the nurse if the mucus becomes thick, green, yellow or brown, if you cough up blood, or if you also have a fever. Those can be signs of a chest infection that needs treatment.
Can I do breathing exercises before surgery?
Yes, and it helps. Practising before the operation means you already know how, and many teams teach it at the pre-surgery visit. Walking, staying active and stopping smoking in the weeks before surgery also help your lungs cope. Ask your team what they suggest for you.
Should I keep doing them at home?
Usually yes, until you are walking about normally and your breathing feels like your usual self. Your team will tell you when you can stop. Call them if you develop a fever, a worsening cough or breathlessness after going home.
How can family members help?
Remind the patient gently at regular times, hold the pillow for a supported cough, and help them sit upright. Watch the marker so they can concentrate on breathing slowly. If they seem more breathless, confused or feverish than before, tell the nurse rather than pushing them to keep going.
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Sources
- Royal College of Anaesthetists — Patient information
- NHS — Pneumonia
- Cancer Research UK — Surgery for cancer
- Cancer.Net — What to expect when having surgery
This page is general information, not a prescription. Do not change or stop any treatment based on what you read here. If anything is worrying you, contact your own treating team — or call our helpline and we will help you reach the right specialist.
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