Download Game Plan for Athletes With Asthma

patient primer
By Colleen Mullarkey
Game Plan for Athletes With Asthma notes
Different factors aggravate asthma in different
people. Athletes who have an allergic component
to their asthma will react to
factors such as pollen, mold,
animal dander, and dust.
Others may find their asthma
worsens when practicing
outside on a cold day or
when air pollution levels are
high. Knowing your triggers
is essential to good asthma
control.
Some players may have
asthma that’s triggered only by
physical activity, which is called exercise-induced
asthma. The symptoms are the same as those for
exacerbations caused by other asthma triggers: fast,
hard breathing; coughing; wheezing; and a tight
chest. An exercise-induced asthma attack usually
doesn’t occur during exercise, but symptoms may
appear within five to 10 minutes after exercise and
may last as long as 30 minutes.
A strong defense
Whether you deal with asthma on a daily basis
or you only experience exercise-induced attacks,
developing an asthma action plan with your health
care provider is essential. This action plan will help
track your symptoms, identify which medications
you need, and tell you when to use them.
The plan also can include recommendations for
your workout routine such as warming up for five
40
Building a support system
Athletes experiencing an asthma exacerbation
should never feel pushed to “tough it out” or
“walk it off.” If you experience teasing from other
teammates, remind them of the many successful
athletes with asthma: NBA players Isiah Thomas
and Dennis Rodman, NFL star Jerome Bettis, and
Olympic gold medalist Jackie Joyner-Kersee.
Read other tips on how to manage asthma as an
athlete at www.winningwithasthma.org, which also
features a free online presentation for coaches.
Information adapted from the Minnesota Department of Health Asthma Program and the Coach’s
Asthma Clipboard Program. ■
Colleen Mullarkey is editorial assistant of
ADVANCE. She can be reached at cmullarkey
@merion.com.
ADVANCE for Managers of Respiratory Care June 2007
✃
Stay ahead of the game
to 10 minutes before exercise and cooling down for
10 to 30 minutes afterward.
Make sure your coaches have copies of the plan,
and bring it along with your correct medication
to all practices and games. Always check that your
canisters are full. Remember, it isn’t OK to share
inhalers; each player with asthma should have his
own medication close by.
To keep athletes with asthma safe, it’s crucial
for coaches, trainers, parents, and athletes
to communicate and be prepared to deal with
an attack.
Here’s what to do:
• Stop the activity.
• Follow your asthma action or emergency plan.
• If you have a rescue inhaler, use it immediately.
• Repeat if symptoms continue.
• Only resume activity if and when your
symptoms are completely gone.
• If symptoms reoccur after
you go back to play, repeat
these steps, and don’t play for
the rest of the game.
• If you don’t have access
to rescue medication, or
your symptoms are getting worse, ask a coach
or teammate to call 911
immediately.
Tom Whalen
H
e shoots, he scores, he … reaches for
his asthma inhaler? Although this
is some play-by-play commentary
you don’t hear too often, you
might be surprised to know just how many athletes
have asthma.
On a team of 15 players, you can expect to find
one or two team members with asthma. However,
many of these athletes probably haven’t revealed
their asthma symptoms to coaches in fear that they
won’t be allowed to play anymore. It’s important for
athletes to understand that with accurate diagnosis
and proper management, they can participate in
almost any sport or exercise.
Your doctor or therapist has given you
this patient education handout to further
explain or remind you about an issue
related to your health. This handout is a
general guide only. If you have specific
questions, discuss them with your doctor
or therapist.
www.advanceweb.com/respmanager