Asthma Specialist

What is asthma?

Asthma is a common disease affecting your lungs and breathing. It’s one of the most common chronic conditions in children, but you can have it as an adult too. If you have asthma, your airways swell, become narrow, and produce lots of mucus that makes it difficult to breathe properly. 

Asthma might affect your everyday life, or you might only notice symptoms after being exposed to certain triggers. An asthma attack happens when you come into contact with a trigger, and your symptoms flare up or worsen very quickly. You need to have a plan in place to manage asthma attacks when they happen, especially if yours are severe. 

Common triggers for asthma attacks include chemical fumes, dust, cold air, smoke, and stressful situations. Your asthma attacks might be associated with allergies or with exercise. The team at Orthopedic Center for Sports Medicine can help you identify your triggers and come up with a management strategy for your asthma.

What are the symptoms of asthma?

Your asthma symptoms might not be the same as someone else who has the condition. However, all cases of asthma affect your breathing. Your symptoms might include:

• Chest tightness
• Breath shortness
• Coughing
• Wheezing
• Long-lasting colds
• Insomnia because of breathing difficulties

During an asthma attack, breathing difficulties and chest tightness get worse. 

How is asthma diagnosed?

Orthopedic Center for Sports Medicine provides advanced pulmonary function testing, and imaging like computed tomography (CT) scans to diagnose asthma. Pulmonary function testing tests your lungs’ volume and other factors that asthma and other lung conditions can affect. Your testing might include:

Spirometry

Spirometry tests measure and record the amount of air that enters and exits your lungs when you breathe. You wear a mask over your mouth as your provider gives you instructions to breathe deeply, breathe rapidly, or breathe normally.

Plethysmography

Plethysmography tests measure the volume of air in your lungs. During the test, you stand in an airtight booth and breathe into a mouthpiece. 

How is asthma treated?

The team at Orthopedic Center for Sports Medicine develops your asthma treatment plan based on your symptoms and the frequency and severity of your asthma attacks. They might give you medications to take every day like inhaled corticosteroids or oral bronchodilators. They may also give you an inhaler to use in the event of an attack to open your airways rapidly.

Orthopedic Center for Sports Medicine also offers cutting-edge asthma management using new biologics. Biologics come from cells of organisms like bacteria or animals. They target specific components in your body, like antibodies or cells that are involved in causing your asthma symptoms. The team treats moderate and severe cases of asthma with biologics, often alongside other medications and treatments.

To find out if you or your loved one has asthma and get an effective treatment plan, book an appointment by phone or online at Orthopedic Center for Sports Medicine today.