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| The last column discussed what sports injuries are and how to assess their severity. This column will tell you what to do when you have an acute sports injury. The three main goals... read more |
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| Acute Sports Injuries are traumatic in nature. Some are very dramatic such as when Mike Foligno broke his leg at centre ice the season before last. Although his was a bone injury m... read more |
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Paul
Papoutsakis |
Paul graduated from UBC with his degree in Human Kinetics and then completed his Diploma in Sports Injury Management at Sheridan College. He is a Certified Athletic Therapist... read more |
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Exercise Induced Asthma | Tuesday, April 11, 2006 |
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 As we exercise in the cold winter air we some of us will have difficulty breathing. Soon after we begin to exercise we start to wheeze, cough and have problems breathing so that it is difficult to continue to exercise. What can be the problem? It may be that you have a form of exercise induced asthma or as we doctor's like to call it ""hyperactive airways""
It is most common in children especially those that have asthma on a regular basis or are very allergic type individuals. It is an extremely common problem with over 16 million people in North America suffers from(12-15% of the population).
How serious is it for the athlete? Well, in 1984 the United States looked at their Olympic Team and to their surprise they found that 11% of their athletes in the Olympics had this problem. Interestingly, over 60% of these athletes including Jackie
Joyner-Kersee won medals in their events.
What happens to the athlete with this form of asthma? As they start to exercise there is an increase in breathing rate. In the asthmatic person the body 'has a reverse response than the normal individual. As opposed to the airways being made larger to get more air into the lungs the airways suddenly constrict. The restriction of oxygen flow causes the athlete to struggle and grasp for air.
There are three phases of exercise induced asthma. The first is called the early response phase which occurs 8-15 minutes after exercise starts. This is a period of airway constriction that lasts one to three hours but is at a maximum after 15 - 30 minutes.
Phase two is the refractory period where little or no restriction occurs. This is the best time for the asthmatic as the lungs now seem to function fairly normally and this can start at 30 minutes into exercise and last 3-4 hours. The final phase is called the late phase which may occur if the person undertakes a second bout of exercise several hours later.
The first important thing is to make a proper diagnosis of exercise induced asthma. On the one hand there are many people out there that may have the symptoms and ignore them thinking they normal for them and they must simply be out of shape. On the other hand there are many people out there who think or have been inappropriately told that they have exercise induced asthma and are crippled by this fact when in fact they may not have this problem. Therefore it is important that you see a doctor and have the appropriate lung function tests to determine if you or your child are having a problem.
The following are some tips for those with this common malady.
1/ Take proper medication prescribed by your doctor. This is one condition in medicine where we can control this problem extremely well with inhalers.
2/ A pre exercise warm-up and a post exercise cool down will help to warm the airways. A gradual change in air temperature will less likely invoke a response.
3/ A warm humid environment is the best to prevent asthma(swimming)
4/ Wear a scarf or mask to keep the air you breath warm and moist.
5/ Breath slowly and deeply through the nose as much as possible. This warmer air that gently reaches the airways will be easier on the airways.
6/ Increase your daily fluid intake to help keep the airways moist.
7/ Avoid overly polluted areas or areas with a high content of allergic plants like pollen.
8/ Become more physically fit.
9/ Several short sprints of less than 10 seconds may induce the refractory period where the athlete can exercise during with almost normal lung function.
10/ Exercise on a regular basis.
11/ The best sports are those that consist of short bursts of activity like tennis or volleyball.
So, if you are having problems breathing during sports especially in winter, don't sell the farm. See your physician and follow the above guidelines so that you can continue to exercise and you can win your own medal.
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