Complete Guide to Respiratory Care in Athletes

Complete Guide to Respiratory Care in Athletes introduces the respiratory system and its function during exercise. It considers the main respiratory conditions affecting athletes and delivers practical advice for the management of respiratory issues in athletic populations.

With contributions from leading international experts, the book discusses fundamental scientific principles and provides pragmatic ‘hands-on’ clinical guidance to enable practical application. Each chapter includes useful pedagogical features such as case studies and guides for carrying out assessments. The book covers wide a range of topics, including:

• respiratory system function during exercise
• impact of the environment on the upper and lower airways
• asthma related issues in athletes
• allergic rhinitis in athletes
• exercise induced laryngeal obstruction
• exercise induced dysfunctional breathing paterns
• respiratory muscle training
• role of screening for respiratory issues in athletes
• assessing and dealing with respiratory infections in athletes.

This text is key reading for both newly qualified and established medical, scientific and therapy practitioners who are working with athletes with respiratory issues. It is also a valuable resource for students of sports medicine, sports therapy, and sport and exercise science courses.

John W. Dickinson, PhD is Reader within the School of Sport and Exercise Science at the University of Kent, UK. He has over 17 years' experience of helping athletes optimise their airway health, over this time he has seen in excess of 2,000 athletes. His work has influenced policy on the management of athlete respiratory health and assisted practitioners to differentiate between various respiratory problems experienced by athletes. He has worked with elite organisations including British Olympic Association, English Institute of Sport, The Football Association and UK Anti-Doping. He has also featured in multiple media stories explaining respiratory issues faced by athletes.

James H. Hull, PhD, FRCP, FACSM is a consultant respiratory physician at the Royal Brompton Hospital, London, UK and Hon. Senior Lecturer, Imperial College London. He has a specialist clinical and research interest in helping athletic individuals with unexplained breathlessness, wheeze and cough. He has worked with a number of elite and professional sporting organisations to optimise athlete respiratory care, including British Swimming, the English Institute of Sport, UK Anti-doping and the International Olympic Committee.