Managing Breathing Pattern Disorders In Tennis Players

Tennis players’ capacity to appropriately ventilate their lungs is fundamental to their physical fitness and movement efficiency during training and matches. Like many athletes, when compared to the general population, tennis players are more likely to experience exercise respiratory symptoms (e.g. shortness of breath, chest tightness, cough, wheeze, difficulty in breathing) and airway dysfunction (e.g. exercise induced bronchoconstriction [EIB])1. Although EIB may explain the presence of these exercise respiratory symptoms in some tennis players, the symptoms may also be caused by other conditions, such as breathing pattern disorders (BPD), exercise induced laryngeal obstruction (EILO) or upper airway obstruction/rhinitis. This review article will explain what a BPD is, highlight considerations for management of BPD in tennis players, and briefly present potential future BPD management strategies.