Which airway clearance method involves physical manipulation of the chest walls?

The method that focuses on physical manipulation of the chest walls is chest percussion and postural drainage. This technique involves using clapping or tapping on the chest to help loosen mucus and enhance airway clearance. By physically impacting the chest, it promotes the mobilization of secretions from the airways, making it easier for patients to expel mucus through coughing or other means.

Postural drainage typically accompanies chest percussion and involves positioning the patient in various ways to allow gravity to assist in draining secretions from different areas of the lungs. This combination facilitates effective clearance of mucus and can be essential for patients with conditions like cystic fibrosis or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Forced expiration techniques, high frequency chest wall percussion, and PEP therapy do contribute to airway clearance but do not specifically emphasize physical manipulation of the chest walls in the same manner as chest percussion and postural drainage. Forced expiration techniques rely largely on controlled breathing and coughing strategies. High frequency chest wall percussion uses mechanical devices to achieve similar outcomes without manual manipulation, and PEP therapy creates a positive end-expiratory pressure to keep airways open during exhalation, also without direct physical intervention.