Researchers have found that exercise can trigger symptoms in as many as nine out of ten children with asthma. Does that mean a child with asthma can’t exercise safely? Absolutely not. It means asthma needs to be controlled, so the child can participate fully in everyday active play, exercise, and even team sports. The myth of the miserable asthmatic child sitting on the sidelines is just that — a myth.

Children with EIA can exercise safely

According to the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program (a project of the National Institutes of Health), children with asthma should be able to maintain normal activity levels, including exercise and other physical activity. Talk to your child’s health care provider about defining what’s normal for your child. The ongoing process of asthma management includes checking on your child’s current condition (what he or she can safely do now) and goals for improvement (what he or she should be able to do safely when asthma is under control). As your child’s asthma is better controlled, he or she should be able to do more and play harder without triggering symptoms.

But should they?

Asthma experts want children with EIA to stay active. In general, active bodies are healthier bodies and some of the effects of reduced activity (like obesity) can make asthma worsen over time. In 1998 the Kalamazoo Center for Medical Studies at Michigan State University studied the benefits of exercise among adolescents with chronic pulmonary disease (including asthma). Researchers concluded that the psychological benefits of exercise were just as significant as the physical benefits. Higher self-esteem, increased feelings of competence, and a sense of normalcy are just some of the mental health benefits of full participation in age-appropriate physical activities.

Reducing risk of an exercise-triggered episode

Preventive measures might include using a short-acting inhaler before exercise, taking daily long-term controller medication, avoiding certain kinds of sports or exercise environments, or learning gradual warm-up exercises. Your role as a parent is to explore these techniques with your health care provider, and teach them to your child. Then comes the hard part: letting go. As your child grows, he or she will take more responsibility for asthma management.

Talk to the coach

If teachers or coaches are reluctant to allow your child to participate fully in classroom physical activities or sports, you may even have to do a little myth debunking of your own. Kids with asthma can be emotionally devastated when their participation in exercise and sports is needlessly limited. Remind the coach that asthma didn’t stop any of the 73 U.S. Olympic athletes who brought their inhalers along to the 1996 games. Your child with asthma can still go for the gold, if he or she chooses.

Talk to your health care provider about your concerns and ask what steps can be taken to help your child exercise safely. The most important thing to remember is that when asthma is properly managed kids, exercise, and asthma can go together — without symptoms.

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 15th, 2007 at 1:07 am and is filed under Kids, Teens. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.