Kansas Wrestling Forums Inhalers

I'm just curious but why is there not some kind of a penalty for stopping a match to use an inhaler. I'm not saying that kids shouldn't wrestle because of a health issue and if it is really necessary than they need to use it, but I saw a lot of kids stop in the third period when things were getting dicey for them stop the match take a break go over and get coaching from their coaches and then regroup before going out to finish the match. There is a slight disadvantage here for the other wrestler in my opion. Is there any type of a rule that a kid has to show a prescription from a DR. stating that their inhaler is a necessatiy? Just curious what everyone else thought on the subject

The rules will always error on the side of caution. A doctor's note would make no difference. It's now different than being hurt. If a kid says he needs time he is hurt, it is given. Most people used the rule as it should be, but there will always be a group on the edge. There is no way around it to my knowledge because the first time you tell a kid he can't use an inhaler or take injury time and something happens it's lawsuit city!


24/7

I think you should definately give injury time but it should come at a cost! At least a couple points or something!

Exercise-induced asthma: Avoid it with preventive medication
Exercise-induced asthma needs no category of its own. If you have asthma symptoms when you exercise, you have asthma — it's that simple. Avoid exercise-induced asthma symptoms by using an inhaler before strenuous activity.
Do you regularly cough and feel short of breath about five to 10 minutes into a good, heart-pumping workout? If so, you may have asthma. Your breathing problems during exercise are part of the underlying condition.

People with mild exercise-induced asthma may not realize that their symptoms go beyond the body's normal response to exertion. They blame their difficulty on being out of shape or short on endurance. The good news is that when your asthma is properly recognized and treated, you'll probably be able to exercise as much as you want.

Asthma and exercise: What's the connection?
Many people with asthma have bouts of wheezing and breathlessness when they exercise strenuously. This reaction is known as exercise-induced asthma or exercise-induced bronchospasm.

Exercise-induced asthma is not a distinct type of asthma. Instead, it is likely to occur in anyone who has the airway reactivity that underlies asthma. Your airways — the passages branching off your windpipe to carry air to and from your lungs — are reactive if they tend to narrow under certain circumstances, such as after exposure to an allergen or while you are suffering from a cold. The linings of reactive airways are prone to inflammation and excess mucus secretion as well.

Exercise-induced asthma: Who's at risk?
Because they're more active than adults, children are more likely to wind up at the doctor's to find out why they have trouble catching their breath when they play hard. Exercise-induced symptoms are often the tip-off that a child has asthma. Other triggers may become apparent over time.

At all ages, though, physical activity is a common cause of acute airway constriction — in other words, of asthma attacks. Only colds are more likely to cause asthma symptoms. Aerobic exercise, such as running or playing basketball, hockey or soccer, is more likely to trigger asthma symptoms than is weightlifting, golfing or moderate-paced walking. Swimming is aerobic, but because humidity is higher near water, your airways are more likely to stay open.

from the http://www.Mayoclinic.com


After many years as a parent in Wrestling I have seen 3rd periods "rescued" by the immediate relief of asthma symptoms. The only two medications which should be appropriate are the immediate relief MDI's which would be albuterol (Proventil, Ventolin) and or pirbuterol (Maxair) otherwise prior to reporting to the table appropriate prevention of exacerbating the symptoms should be initiated. The inhaler should have the child's name & physician with a current date.

The utilization of Primatine Mist (epinephrine) can be a cheap alternative to immediate rescue & does not require a prescription.

Also keep in mind "triggers" that can induce asthma conditions.



Rictoria Bober RN,MSN,CCRN

Enough said, from an official's standpoint! The only thing you can hit the kid/coach with would be unsportsmanlike conduct for using something and not needing it. 99% sure it would be hard to prove it was "unneeded".

I just thinking if a point was given that would make the coaches and wrestlers think twice before using it if it wasn't truly needed and they are just using it for a ploy for some rest and coaching. I saw one particular wrestler that seem to need his inhaler in the third period in every match he wrestled except for the one that he was winning easily. He isn't the only one I have seen do this but it begins to draw your attention when it is a constant thing that seems to be done by quite a few of the team members. I find it hard to belive all of these kids have an asthma problem.

The only choice for officials is to grant a timeout any time a wrestler indicates injury or needs to use an inhaler. It is up to coaches to ethically use injury time outs, officials have nothing to do with this.

The problem is, if you take a point away, you are punishing the majority of kids who are ethical and only use it when needed. If it is a close match, the kid who really does need it won't want the penalty and then it's too late. The asthma flares up could end him in the hospital. It is a very scary thing not to be able to breathe - my son takes precautionary meds as well as "releif" inhalers and still ended up in the hospital for 5 days recently. You just can't mess with kids with asthma - it is too serious. The real issue isn't the inhalers, it is the integrity of the child/parent/coach. For those people who take advantage of it (and trust me, I have seen that happen), they would take advantage of anything, whether it would be inhalers, injury, drawing blood etc.....just to stop the match. I am all for an injury timeout though, just not points taken off. That's too much pressure for a kid to have to decide whether his asthma is bad enough, especially in the heat of battle, when he can't breathe, for points to be taken off. I would hate to lose a match in the finals due to a health issue which you didn't ask for and don't want but can't do anything about it....again though, it's not the inhalers, it's the integrity.....

Doesn't the 2 time out rule apply here in this case?

You keep sayin what if the time out are misused... WELL, what if the time outs are used properly.. you want to penalize a wrestler for using his inhaler.. then u are penalizing kids with asthma. How about we penelize those wrestlers who are missing a limb because the "normal" wrestler now only have one leg he/she can attack. YOU'RE NUTS

I for sure do not have asthma but i do coach kids with asthma and one of them wrestled this weekend. And in one of the matches I did infact call a time out to allow him to use an inhaler. Honestly, its kinda against the wrestling religion/tradition to call time outs even when they are needed. However, when a kids you have coached all year long or maybe longer looks at you and say they cant breathe who am I or an official to potentially put a kid's health at risk.

Officials call potentially dangerous calls all the time and isn't knowing you have asthma and not granting a kid a time out potentially dangerous??? I do not know what it feels like to attempt to breathe and not get any air but for the thousands of wrestlers who have asthma and who have had asthma attack and go to the hospital I trust their word. SO DO YOU REALLY THINK HAVING ASTHMA IS AN UNFAIR ADVANTAGE???

Yes it does, as with all other injury time out situations. There is a limit of 2 injury time outs per match, and on the second the opponent receives choice of starting position on the restart.

No, the child with asthma should not be penalized.

What we are trying to identify here is that kids should prepare--prior to the match the "rescue inhalers" are utilized the majority of the time when the kid is "behind" in points and needs a crutch....fear and anxiety are triggers that can induce an asthmatic attack.

Proper prophylaxis would be appropriate for the child to utilize the inhaler prior to the match therefore ultimate bronchial air flow. We are talking about "stopping" the match...with the utilization of inhalers MDI's the onset is 5-15 minutes and peak is 30-120 minutes, while the duration of the MDI is 2-6 hours. To prevent exercise induced bronchospasm 2 aerosol inahlations 15-30 minutes before exercise will achieve the ultimate effect of bronchodilation.

What ultimately comes down to is taking care of the body prior to exercise inducement of bronchospasms. Another reader noted that the child never used the MDI when they were ahead but yet would stop the 3rd period to get a "rescue".

Unfortunately, we won't change how people take care of their chronic conditions trying to wait until at times it's too late....thus who really knows if the child is going to risk a problem with status asthmaticus and forfeit the match and heading to the ER.

Primarily parents and wrestlers are aware of those that like to do their inhalers in the third period and it is "noticed" among the wrestling family.

Rictoria Bober RN,MSN,CCRN
Labette Community College
Maternal-Child/Pediatrics Educator

I don't see this as an issue of being penalized as much as it is an issue of rules enforcement. Until the rules are changed, I don't think it is at our discretion to apply the rules as we see fit, but they should be applied as written. If taking a 2nd time out, the rule to me is fairly clear on this issue, it may not be a rule that I and or others like, and if that is the case it is up to those who are opposed to the rule to try and get the rule changed. Until it is changed, it should be applied as written. One of the problems I have seen is when one official applies a rule, and another lets it slide. In issues of judgment, there will be differing judgment, on a clear rules issue though, there should be consistency.

I am sure no one is intending to make it seem like inhalers aren't needed in the third period (or whatever period it happens to be) as long as proper prevention is administered. No one knows asthma better than a mom/child(ren) who have dealt with it daily for 13 years. I hope this forum is not giving kids with real issues a bad name if they happen to need their inhaler while wrestling. I know for a fact that my son does every possible prevention (4 daily meds, a precautionary inhaler, a nebulizer and a relief inhaler) and he STILL needs his rescue inhaler sometimes during matches, winning or losing. And as far as the "other kids" having a disadvantage (from the originator of the forum) for stopping the match, the "other kid" certainly had an ADvantage when mine was up on Friday night at 3AM for 2 hours trying to get his breathing controlled. He was exhausted Saturday morning, not to mention that the poor kid tires easier anyway since his body is working extra hard breathing. So instead of making asthma the issue, let's admire all those kids who do have a serious health issue but by golly get out there anyway because they love the sport so much. As stated earlier, this chat should be about those who abuse the system. The same people who abuse their timeouts for inhalers are the same ones who would abuse anything they could to get ahead in life, whether it be on the mat, at school, play, work, etc...
In a perfect world, this would never happen but unfortunately we don't live in a perfect world, and what better way to teach our children about real life than on the wrestling mat where you not only wrestle the honest, but also the dishonest. I do agree that an injury timeout(s) should be given to "inhaler users" but let's not give those asthma kids who are honestly trying to live life as normal as possible, a bad name by suggesting that preventive medicine is the cure-all for matches being stopped. I guarantee that if it was your kid struggling to breathe, you would want that match stopped also...no matter how much "modern medicine" says he should be breathing due to preventive medicine. Again, it's not the asthma but the dishonesty of a few who would be dishonest in any situation....

Okay, I in no way think that a child who needs an inhaler should not use it during a match. What I am saying is shouldn't there be some kind of a way to find out if they are really needed. If a child has been treated for ringworm we don't just accept the word of the wrestler/coach that this is true. They have to provide a Dr.'s note with a form stating that this has in fact been taken care of. I am just wondering why something like that can not be done for an inhaler? I would never take away the accomplishment of those with an illness trying to live a normal as possible life and going for what ever they want in life. I am just saying when a kid is getting reversed or taken to his back and is constantly calling a time out so that he can use his inhaler he is at an advantage. Kids are losing matches because of there being no back points awarded or no reversal awarded and that is not fair to the other wrestler. I know all about having asthma and how serious a disease it is, I grew up with a brother who has it. I teach my kids that they should wrestle fairly and put their skills up against their opponents. If they come out the winner than that is a accomplishment that they can be proud of. What am I suppose to tell my child when he is down in a match by 1 point, rolls the kid to his back, the other child calls for a time out to use his inhaler in the last 20 sec. of the match and then gets to come back in on bottom and stall for the remaing 20 secs.

I understand what you are saying and your concern. Although I still think it is a deeper issue than just inhalers. As I said earlier, the same kid who "fakes the need for an inhaler" (and believe me, I know that happens) is the same kid who will fake an injury as they are getting pinned. Cheating is cheating and unfortunately a part of life. My son has lost matches (even state finals matches) where he was pinning the kid and the kid cried "ouch" and the match stopped. My son ended up losing a few of those matches and I wholeheartedly believe it was a big lie that the kid was really hurt. In fact I have videotapes that would strongly suggest this. We are always going to have to deal with those "cheaters" no matter what rules and regulations we have or don't have. We can't prove anyones motive, we can only draw an opinion and know that in the long run, cheaters have to live with their own self conscience. If we insist on having medical statements, we are run into a whole new gament of problems and complaints and loopholes and open up a whole new can of worms when it comes to injury timeouts, and when you can-cannot use them. Unfortunately a few dishonest kids/parents have ruined it for everyone, but again, they would ruin it no matter what rules we have. Ringworm is a little different as that is contagious and affects the opposing wrestler, asthma doesn't. I am really sorry your son lost a match to that kind of kid - mine has also. But what a better way to teach the kids that life is not always fair and at least he can walk off the mat with his integrity still in tact, unlike his opponent.

A slight variation from the inhaler - My son wrestled an opponent who wore a full face mask. I understand this requires a doctor's note and is usually due to having a broken nose. He said it was virtually impossible to have an effective cross face against someone when they are wearing a mask. This wrestler had to stop several times in the course of his 3 matches to adjust or re-attach the face mask. He and his coach were quick to fix it and it looked to me like the wrestler was frustrated with the mask malfunctions. Later when I voiced concerns about the delays and opportunity for resting and coaching advice, my son pointed out to me that this wrestler had to breathe through 2 small holes in the mask. He didn't think it was an unfair advantage. I guess he told me!

And at the same time the "injured" wrestler gets a breather and extra coaching, so does the opponet. He can just as easily go to his coaches, take a deep breath, get a drink, and get some coaching without the added stress of dealing with the injury/problem that lead to the timeout in the first place (and I mean when it's legitimate...not referring to those unfortunate illegitimate timeouts). Your son must have good character to point that out and think about what the other kid is going through.....good for him!

Do what most kids do use the inhaler before they go on the mat. It should last till the match is done,

my son uses his inhaler before he goes on the mat and yes sometimes he needs it during the match too. But because of the people on this forum, he does read this, we tends to try not to use it during a match. I have had to make him take it between periods, he does not want people to think that he is trying to cheat. I raised my son with pride and integrity, he knows right from wrong. He does legitately need his inhaler for asthma, if he does not use it he will be on a breathing machine. If you have not noticed this is a touchy subject. It is hard to raise a child that is so naturally gifted at wrestling, but has trouble running or wrestling in practice. Maybe we need to have a card from a doctor or something but to categorize the good with the bad is wrong.