A Valsalva maneuver is an effort to exhale without letting air escape through the nose or mouth. People often use a Valsalva maneuver during some common activities, such as straining to have a bowel movement or blowing a stuffy nose.
A Valsalva maneuver is not normally harmful but it may cause irregular heart rhythms in some people who have certain types of heart disease.
A person may be asked to do a Valsalva maneuver during certain medical tests or exams. During the test, a person is asked to try to breathe using the stomach muscles and diaphragm but not let any air out through the nose or mouth.
| Author: | Jeannette Curtis |
| Medical Review: | Patrice Burgess, MD - Family Medicine Adam Husney, MD - Family Medicine Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine |
| Last Updated: May 25, 2007 | |
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