Find out how to train and progress in sports if you have a similar chronic condition. Sinusitis in athletes is not so rare. In this regard, professional athletes have a question whether it is possible to continue training in such a situation, because they do not want to miss training. There are two forms of this disease - chronic and acute. In any case, a person experiences increased fatigue, and also pains in the head and eye socket area. It is quite obvious that sinusitis in athletes can become a serious obstacle to full-fledged training.
I want to say right away that if you have the opportunity to pause your workouts, then you should do so. Treatment of sinusitis must be started as early as possible so that serious complications do not appear. For adolescents with this disease, it is contraindicated to play sports, and this is especially true for those sports in which it is often necessary to tilt the body.
Symptoms and causes of sinusitis in athletes
All that we are going to talk about now is equally characteristic of ordinary people, and not just athletes. Let's start with the causes of the development of the disease, of which there can be a lot. The most common among them are inflammatory processes occurring in the nasopharynx, oral cavity, nose. In addition, sinusitis often develops after infectious diseases of the upper respiratory tract, for example, scarlet fever or flu.
Doctors are sure that the main cause of the disease lies in the presence of viruses and pathogens in the maxillary sinuses. In the cold season, the immune system is not so active in its work and any bacteria that have entered the body can become the root cause of the development of sinusitis in athletes.
Let's take a look at the main symptoms of this disease. As we said above, the treatment of sinusitis must be started as soon as possible. The main symptoms include coughing, persistently blocked nose, feeling weak, fever, and pain in the forehead, nose, and teeth.
With sinusitis, the most painful area is the eyes. If you passed the examination in a timely manner, and the disease was diagnosed, then it will take about two weeks for full treatment. Agree that if sinusitis in athletes manifests itself, then it makes sense to undergo a course of treatment so as not to get serious complications.
The main symptom of chronic sinusitis is a persistent runny nose. Also note that when a person blinks, the pain sensations increase. Unfortunately, the chronic form of this disease has few symptoms and this makes the diagnosis process difficult. Only a medical examination can help here.
Sinusitis in athletes: how to treat the disease
This disease is treated by an otolaryngologist, and once again we recall that it is extremely important not to run sinusitis. The speed of recovery depends on the speed of diagnosis and initiation of treatment. Many people try to treat all diseases on their own, using traditional medicine recipes for this. However, in this case, they can only be effective in combination with medical treatment, which is prescribed by a doctor.
If sinusitis manifests itself in a child younger than three years old, then in such a situation, the use of traditional medicine is not allowed, but you must immediately consult a doctor. If you start an acute form of the disease, then it will develop into a chronic one. In addition, there is a high likelihood of developing complications, which can be the most serious. We have already said that microorganisms are the cause of the development of the disease and this fact presupposes strict adherence to bed rest.
Sinusitis in athletes: what complications are possible?
The maxillary sinuses are located in the immediate vicinity of the organs of vision. If the inflammatory processes can reach the eye, then swelling, redness appears, and pain occurs when pressing on the eyeballs. If the situation continues to worsen, then it is likely that visual acuity will decrease, and the eye muscles begin to lose their mobility due to edema.
As a result, the likelihood of developing purulent inflammation of the eyelid and eye tissues sharply increases. Most often, such complications are characteristic of the elderly and children. However, this does not mean that when diagnosing sinusitis in athletes, treatment should not be started as soon as possible.
In the most severe cases, due to inflammatory processes, vision may be lost, thrombosis of the blood vessels of the eye will develop, as well as soft tissue necrosis. As soon as redness or swelling of the eyelids was noticed with sinusitis, you should immediately contact an ophthalmologist. To avoid this complication, it is necessary to avoid tilting the body forward. You must remember that turning the head and tilting the body promote the spread of infections from the maxillary sinuses. One of the most dangerous complications of sinusitis is osteoperiostitis. These are inflammatory processes that affect bone tissue, as well as the periosteum of the skull. If the infection has penetrated deep into the soft tissue, then it can spread to the bones. It should be noted that the bones of the skull are extremely sensitive to this complication. Osteoperiostitis can pose a real threat to human life.
We have already noted that traditional medicine in the treatment of sinusitis can be used only after consulting a doctor. Very often, one of the reasons for the development of osteoperiostitis is the warming of the maxillary sinuses. In folk medicine, this is a very popular treatment. When a patient has a high temperature or a purulent inflammatory process is actively developing, then various warming up is categorically contraindicated. It should also be said that after the diagnosis of osteoperiostitis, the patient is placed in the department of maxillofacial surgery.
Sepsis and meningitis - the consequences of sinusitis
Chronic sinusitis in athletes can cause the development of inflammatory processes in the spinal cord and brain. This disease is called meningitis, and it can only be treated permanently. If you do not provide timely assistance for meningitis, then within two days a lethal outcome is possible. This is especially true for young children and the elderly.
One of the reasons for the penetration of infection into the cavity of the spinal column and the skull is warming up, untimely seeking medical help, as well as unqualified treatment of the disease. Sometimes people suffering from chronic sinusitis go to saunas and baths, and then jump into snowdrifts or plunge into an ice-hole.
All sports disciplines associated with jumps, elevation changes, as well as temperatures with sinusitis are contraindicated. This is due to the fact that in this situation, a purulent infectious infiltrate in a short time can penetrate into the lymph and bloodstream. To avoid such complications, sinusitis must be treated not with the help of radical physiotherapy, but with medication.
The second serious complication of this disease is sepsis. This is the name of the inflammatory process, during which the infection is in the blood and circulates throughout the body. The reasons for the development of this disease are very similar to other complications, to which can be added trauma to the skull and weakness of the walls of blood vessels. Once again, we recall that if sinusitis in athletes is diagnosed, then bed rest should be observed. Any extreme sports can cause complications.
Otitis and neuritis after sinusitis
The most common complication of sinusitis is otitis media. The cause of this disease is an infection that enters the middle ear and as a result, another focus of inflammatory processes is formed. With otitis media, a person feels pain, as well as ear congestion. In addition to a decrease in hearing acuity, an increase in body temperature is also possible. When treating otitis media with traditional medicine, infection can enter the inner ear, resulting in hearing loss.
Another complication of sinusitis is ternary neuritis. Simply put, the nerve endings become inflamed. Even modern medicine copes with this disease with great difficulty, and in addition to the appearance of chronic pain sensations, a number of other complications are possible.
What sports are dangerous for sinusitis?
We have already come to the conclusion that it is worth stopping sports during the period of illness. If you seek medical help on time, the treatment will not take much time. Otherwise, a number of complications are possible, some of which we have described. If sinusitis was found in athletes, then it will be quite difficult to continue training in any case, because the body temperature with this disease can rise to 39-40 degrees.
As a result, the athlete experiences severe fatigue, gets tired quickly and, in addition, the coordination of movements is impaired. Even after a decrease in body temperature, weakness in the muscles persists. As you can see, it is simply impossible to play sports in such conditions.
We have already said that with this disease it is strictly forbidden to engage in all extreme sports disciplines, as well as playing sports, weight lifting and yoga. Until the disease is completely healed, you will have to forget about training if health is expensive.
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