- 1). Lie on your stomach with your face and shoulders leaning off the side of the couch or chair. It is important that you have your chest positioned in a slight downward angle, with your chest pressed against the couch or chair. If you feel uncomfortable in this position, lie face down on the floor and prop pillows under your chest to obtain the same angle.
- 2). Instruct your partner to slap your back with strong, solid motions, like he or she were playing a bongo drum. This slapping motion should not be painful. Allow yourself to cough when you need to, and spit any mucous into a tissue. Have your partner continuing hitting all areas of your back with the palm of his hand for about ten minutes. You should be coughing and expectorating more than usual.
- 3). Immediately after this treatment, sit up and begin using a nebulizer or steam machine to soothe your chest and allow your lungs to relax and expand. If you don't have a nebulizer or steam machine, inhaling steam from hot water in a bowl or sink may also help.
- 4). Take an herbal cough drop or drink herbal tea to relax your throat after expectorating. When your throat has calmed down, allow your body to relax. Your chest should feel open and relaxed and your breathing should be more regular.
- 5). When you feel your chest begin to tighten again, restart this process. You can repeat the back-slapping technique three or four times a day to stir up the mucous that has settled in the alveoli.
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