Exercise and sports pulmonology: Pathophysiological adaptations and rehabilitation

Introduction This book provides an innovative and comprehensive overview of the relationship between lung and exercise, both in healthy, active subjects and in subjects with chronic respiratory diseases. It investigates in detail the central role of the lungs during exercise and illustrates the impact of respiratory impairment due to both acute and chronic lung diseases on performance. Further, the book presents the latest evidence-based findings, which confirm that exercise is an effective and safe form of prevention and rehabilitation in respiratory diseases. The first section describes the changes in the respiratory system during exercise and the contribution of respiration to exercise, while readers will learn how to perform a respiratory assessment in the second section. The third section addresses a broad range of chronic respiratory diseases and the (in)ability of those affected to play sports and perform exercise, thus providing a basis for individual assessments. The last two sections focus on respiratory training, rehabilitation and the relationship between respiration and the environment, e.g. in high-altitude and underwater sports. The book will appeal to a wide readership, including pulmonologists, sport medicine physicians, physiotherapists and trainers, as well as instructors and students in exercise science.