Respiratory · Patient education from the Pegasus Peak physiotherapy team.
Reviewed by the Pegasus Peak physiotherapy team — AHPRA-registered physiotherapists led by principal physiotherapist Kosta Logothetis. Last reviewed 2025-10-12.
Struggling with chest congestion or painful coughing? Discover Australia’s top physiotherapy-approved huff technique for better breathing and lung health.
When coughing hurts, the huff technique clears mucus without the strain. Here's how to do it properly.
When you’re fighting off a cold, flu, or respiratory infection, that feeling of needing to clear your chest can be relentless. Normally, a good cough does the job. But what happens when coughing hurts, say after chest or abdominal surgery, or even from a muscle strain?
Suppressing a cough might seem like the solution, but it can actually make things worse. When secretions aren’t cleared, they start to build up in the airways, leading to difficulty breathing and even delaying recovery from the infection (Belli et al., 2021).
That’s where a simple but effective breathing strategy comes in, the huff technique.
The huff is a breathing technique used to help move mucus from the lungs without the harshness of a full cough. It’s often taught by health professionals because it’s gentler on the chest and abdomen, yet still helps clear the airways.
While it might not always replace a cough completely, research shows it’s an effective alternative when coughing is painful or contraindicated (Pontifex et al., 2002). The main goal of huffing is to move mucus higher up in the airways so that it can be expelled more easily.
There are two main types of huffs: one performed from low lung volumes, and another from high lung volumes. Both have slightly different effects in terms of where they target secretions within the lungs.
According toKendrick (2006), the type of huff you perform determines which part of the lungs you’re helping to clear. Let’s break that down.
A low-volume huff starts with a smaller breath in. This allows air to travel into the outer regions of the lungs, where deeper secretions often sit. When you perform the huff, that air moves from behind the mucus, helping to mobilize secretions from the peripheral to more central airways.
Think of it as working from the bottom up, clearing the “quiet corners” of your lungs first.
A high-volume huff begins with a larger breath in, filling the lungs more fully. This brings air to the central airways, where mucus tends to collect closer to the trachea. Because the exhalation force is greater, this type of huff is more powerful, helping to bring mucus closer to the mouth where it can be spat out or swallowed.
In practice, combining both low and high-volume huffs is the most effective approach. It creates a kind of “mucus shuttle”, gradually moving secretions from deep within the lungs to the upper airways.
The technique for performing a huff is the same regardless of lung volume. The only variable is how deep the breath is before you exhale. Here’s how to do it step by step:
Once the mucus reaches the throat, a small, controlled cough or a spit-out is usually enough to clear it completely.
Unlike a cough, which generates a rapid and forceful burst of air, a huff uses steady, controlled airflow. This helps move mucus without collapsing smaller airways, a risk in conditions like COPD or after chest surgery.
The reduced strain also means less pain and fatigue. In fact, studies have shown that huffing and directed coughing use less energy compared to forceful coughing, making it particularly useful for those recovering from illness or surgery (Pontifex et al., 2002).
To get the most from the huff technique:
If you have a chronic respiratory condition like bronchiectasis, asthma, or COPD, integrating the huff technique into your daily airway clearance routine can make a noticeable difference.
Video Including a demonstration of the Huff:
The huff technique is a simple yet powerful tool for clearing mucus when coughing is painful or unproductive. By using controlled breathing to move secretions from the lungs, it helps restore easier breathing without putting unnecessary strain on healing tissues.
Whether you’re recovering from surgery, managing a respiratory condition, or just dealing with a stubborn chest infection, learning to huff effectively can support faster recovery and better lung health.
And best of all, it requires no special equipment, just a bit of practice and awareness of your breathing.
Read more onlinkedin here!
References:
Belli, S., Prince, I., Savio, G., Paracchini, E., Cattaneo, D., Bianchi, M., Masocco, F., Bellanti, M. T., & Balbi, B. (2021). Airway Clearance Techniques: The Right Choice for the Right Patient.Frontiers in medicine,8, 544826.https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2021.544826
Kendrick, A. H. (2006). Airway clearance techniques in cystic fibrosis.European Respiratory Journal,27(6), 1082-1083.
Pontifex, E., Williams, M. T., Lunn, R., & Parsons, D. (2002). The effect of huffing and directed coughing on energy expenditure in young asymptomatic subjects.Australian Journal of Physiotherapy,48(3), 209-213.
Questions about how to clear your chest with the huff technique? Our physiotherapists in Horningsea Park and Gregory Hills can assess and treat you — no referral needed.
Pegasus Peak Physiotherapy provides hands-on, evidence-based care across South West Sydney from two clinics.
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