Asthma and sport

"My child with asthma can play sports?" This question is asked by all parents of children with asthma

With simple rules and sometimes subject to making certain preventive medication, asthma can practice the sport he loves. Many children do participate little physical activity at school because they have asthma and believe that their sport is not recommended. This is not true because the exercise-induced asthma can be prevented and treated

Some athletes with asthma have been through treatment and special training to continue their sporting career and even won medals in many competitions as prestigious as the Olympics.Remember Mark Spitz's seven gold medals! And yet he was asthmatic!

It is advisable to make a good warm-up exercise before the beginning of the year: do not start cold and violently! Progressive training is always necessary

Choosing the right sport for asthmatic children?

The choice of a sport in an asthmatic should be done according to their tastes. Only the French federation of scuba diving prohibits in absolute and final practice scuba diving for asthma.Indeed, it is technically impossible to inhale a drug at the bottom, and further, the compressed air in the bottle contains a high concentration of allergens that can trigger or not the crisis. All other sports can be practiced as evidenced by numerous Olympic champions and national and international athletes who have asthma

Preparation for the exercise should be even more progressive than the chosen sport is "asthmagens. This is the case for cross-country skiers for example, or running

The practice of riding, especially in children should be discouraged because there is a significant risk of sensitization to horse or other allergens in the straw. It is preferable to orient the child to another sport

The type of exercise may promote earlier onset of a crisis: running causes more crises than the bike. Swimming, which is practiced in a warm and humid, gives fewer reactions bronchial unless they are sensitive to chlorine fumes

Asthma and sport: the benefits of exercise

Increased exercise tolerance
Improved self-esteem
Increased confidence
Improved well-being and psychological
The exercise performed on a regular basis even if not cure asthma, improves fitness and dosed correctly, can mitigate the effects of IBE. The inability to participate in athletic programs or recreational sports can hinder both adults and children

For years, we grew that asthmatics could not and should not participate in team sports and physical activities demanding. We now know that this is false. In children, exercise improves self-esteem, confidence, physical well-being and psychological. Most children whose asthma is under control can usually participate in physical activities and exercise programs

Nowadays, when asthma is diagnosed and treated, sufferers can get some exercise and thus improve their physical wellbeing and psychological

Among children, levels of exercise tolerance varies. A personalized education will enable children to learn to find their rhythm to participate in activities that are at their

However, even under ideal conditions, an extremely demanding exercise can cause in some IBE individus.C is common sense prevails

The vicious cycle of inactivity

In a survey conducted among 262 physical education teachers across the United States, only 52% of them reported that children with asthma regularly participated in physical education classes, and most of those interviewed, reported that asthma was the most common excuse for missing classes (Bar-Or 1983)

A vicious circle emerges often in people with breathing difficulties. Children with asthma may feel they lack the breath, or accuse other signs of asthma, with activity levels below those of other children whose lungs are normal

To avoid this type of feeling, the child will reduce its level of activity that contributes more to physical deconditioning, increasing shortness of breath with activity levels even lower. The cycle continues, and these children will become teenagers, and inactive adults, in poor physical condition, and sometimes too embarrassed to return to sport

Regular exercise is especially important in children and adolescents with asthma. Many habits are already well established when children enter adolescence. Children can avoid going out to play, sports and other physical activities that trigger symptoms. An untreated asthma and IBE can limit normal activities, which can cause physical and psychological effects of long term including poor self-image. Because they do not participate in activities, it is possible that children with asthma are accused of laziness