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Noticed Tightening Feeling In Throat And Shortness Of Breath. What Can Be Done?
Question: I have a 15 yr old daughter who is a great kid and a fabulous athlete she is being limited athletically by 2 things a tightening feeling in her throat when running causing shortness of breath and heavy legs both things cause her to have to pace her self throughout her games limiting her best asset speed
all her blood tests are normal including iron pulmonary function normal nose was scoped down to vocal chords with and without exercise normal sono of heart normal allergy testing normal chest xrays normal ran treadmill to monitor breathing normal except for something slightly abnormal in UPPER airway not vocal chords not serious still havent had stress test or mri of the aortic ring which were suggested to us thanks
all her blood tests are normal including iron pulmonary function normal nose was scoped down to vocal chords with and without exercise normal sono of heart normal allergy testing normal chest xrays normal ran treadmill to monitor breathing normal except for something slightly abnormal in UPPER airway not vocal chords not serious still havent had stress test or mri of the aortic ring which were suggested to us thanks
Hello and thanks for the query,
First, is she taking any medications?
I would be willing to bet the stress test and MRI will be normal. One other consideration would be for her to wear a monitor for 1 or 2 days which would pick up any irregular heart rhythms.
Lastly, are the symptoms more prevalent during competitions compared to regular exercise? The reason I ask is because competition can be very stressful and can create symptoms similar to panic disorder in some athletes.
Thanks again for the query,
I look forward to hearing back from you soon.
Dr. Galamaga
First, is she taking any medications?
I would be willing to bet the stress test and MRI will be normal. One other consideration would be for her to wear a monitor for 1 or 2 days which would pick up any irregular heart rhythms.
Lastly, are the symptoms more prevalent during competitions compared to regular exercise? The reason I ask is because competition can be very stressful and can create symptoms similar to panic disorder in some athletes.
Thanks again for the query,
I look forward to hearing back from you soon.
Dr. Galamaga
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
To follow up my daughter just started taking Concerta but only during the school year which ended 2 weeks ago. My wife and I just watched her at 3 nights of lacrosse camp and she lags behind because she has shortness of breath, she can only run hard for a short time and then has to catch her breath and pace herself. The reason this is so frustrating is speed is her #1 asset, she is among the fastest girls on the team but cant take advantage of it. She is going into 10th grade and is a division 1 college prospect we are told. If we cant get a handle on this soon that won't be the case anymore. We have actually started to wonder if she is just out of shape which seems impossible to us but thats what her symptoms mimic. At this point we are desperate as we see all her potential going down the drain. HELP!
Hello again and thank you for the follow up question.
Regarding the medication Concerta you might consider discussing this with her physician. If this was something that was changed within the last several months it might not be a bad idea to discontinue this medication to see if this does affect how she performs.
If you're concerned about her level of fitness what you might also consider would be a consultation with a physical therapist who can perform an adequate overall assessment of her baseline fitness level. This can be done by a physical therapist or possibly by a sports medicine specialist.
Lastly as we cannot ignore the mind body connection she might also benefit from a consultation with a sports psychologist. In many cases this type of changing performance which is not consistent with her baseline or previous performance is a temporary type of situation. For her I think continued investigation of what might be contributing to this is prudent.
I would encourage you to discuss the possibility of discontinuing the Concerta and the possibility of arranging for a baseline fitness assessment and possibly a sports psychologist consultation.
Regarding the college prospects this is excellent although sometimes this does place a significant amount of added stress too young athletes. This is something that you can discuss with her as well as with her pediatrician to see if this might be playing a role.
Thanks again for sending your question. Please let me know if you have other concerns you would like to review.
Dr Galamaga
Regarding the medication Concerta you might consider discussing this with her physician. If this was something that was changed within the last several months it might not be a bad idea to discontinue this medication to see if this does affect how she performs.
If you're concerned about her level of fitness what you might also consider would be a consultation with a physical therapist who can perform an adequate overall assessment of her baseline fitness level. This can be done by a physical therapist or possibly by a sports medicine specialist.
Lastly as we cannot ignore the mind body connection she might also benefit from a consultation with a sports psychologist. In many cases this type of changing performance which is not consistent with her baseline or previous performance is a temporary type of situation. For her I think continued investigation of what might be contributing to this is prudent.
I would encourage you to discuss the possibility of discontinuing the Concerta and the possibility of arranging for a baseline fitness assessment and possibly a sports psychologist consultation.
Regarding the college prospects this is excellent although sometimes this does place a significant amount of added stress too young athletes. This is something that you can discuss with her as well as with her pediatrician to see if this might be playing a role.
Thanks again for sending your question. Please let me know if you have other concerns you would like to review.
Dr Galamaga
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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