Sports Pulmonology Services

Healthy, strong lungs are essential for peak performance in all sports and activities, from basketball and soccer to hiking and cross-country skiing. Pulmonologists and cardiopulmonary rehabilitation specialists on NYU Langone’s Sports Health team specialize in caring for the lungs of athletes and other active people. We treat the full range of respiratory conditions, all while focusing on your fitness as well as your overall health.

Screening and Diagnostic Tests

Pulmonologists at NYU Langone use a battery of sophisticated screening and diagnostic tools and tests, including the following:

• chest X-ray
• CT scan
• echocardiography, to screen for pulmonary hypertension, the term for high blood pressure in the vessels leading from the heart to the lungs
• fractional exhaled nitric oxide testing, which doctors use to detect and measure inflammation in your airways
• lung diffusing capacity testing, which measures how well your lungs exchange gases
• oxygen titration, which measures your oxygen needs at rest and during exercise
• plethysmography, a test that measures total lung capacity and that may be used to detect blood clots in the arms or legs
• lung ultrasound, a scan to find fluid in or around the lungs or a collapsed lung
• six-minute walk testing, which measures aerobic capacity and endurance
• spirometry, which measures how much and how quickly you move air out of your lungs
• pre and post spirometry, which is spirometry done before and after you have been given an inhaled medication
• screening for sleep-related breathing disorders, including obstructive sleep apnea
• cardiopulmonary stress test, to monitor pulmonary health and fitness in athletes and to gauge training improvements

Conditions We Treat

Our pulmonary medicine specialists diagnose and treat a full range of acute and chronic respiratory symptoms and conditions in athletes and other active people, including the following:

• asthma
• chest injuries, such as lung bruise and rib fractures
• chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• coughing or shortness of breath that occurs during exercise
• exercise-induced bronchospasm, also called exercise-induced asthma, a condition in which the airways tighten and make breathing difficult during or after exercise
• high-altitude pulmonary edema, a condition that causes excess fluid in the lungs in some athletes when they ascend to altitudes higher than 6,000 feet (1,800 meters)
• interstitial lung diseases, including idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and pulmonary sarcoidosis
• lower respiratory infections, such as bronchitis and pneumonia
• pulmonary embolism

We also offer treatment and training guidance for people living with chronic lung conditions who wish to become more active or participate in sports.

Advanced Treatments

Our team provides the most advanced treatment options available for your specific lung condition. These may include lifestyle recommendations, over-the-counter or prescription medicines, medical therapies such as airway clearance or oxygen therapy, or mechanical therapies, such as the use of a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device.

During or after the treatment of your lung condition, we may recommend you receive pulmonary rehabilitation, offered through Rusk Rehabilitation, from a sports health cardiopulmonary rehabilitation doctor. These experts help you regain full pulmonary function and offer guidance about how to manage changes to your training routine while you recover.

When you are full recovered, exercise physiologists at our Sports Performance Center can help you reach your maximum potential.