EILO Treatment in California: What Athletes Need to Know

If you’re an athlete in California who struggles to breathe during intense exercise — throat tightness, noisy breathing, the feeling that you can’t get air in — you may have been told it’s asthma. But if your inhaler isn’t helping, there’s a good chance something else is going on.

Exercise-induced laryngeal obstruction (EILO), also known as vocal cord dysfunction or paradoxical vocal fold motion, is one of the most commonly misdiagnosed breathing conditions in athletes. It affects an estimated 5–7% of young people and is even more prevalent in competitive sports settings. The good news: it’s treatable. The challenge: finding a specialist who actually knows how to treat it. Functional Airway Lab is here to help.

What Is EILO?

EILO occurs when the vocal folds (or the structures above them) close inappropriately at peak exercise, narrowing the airway and making it difficult to breathe in. Unlike asthma — which causes difficulty breathing out — EILO primarily restricts inhalation.

Common symptoms include:

• Throat tightness or a “closing” sensation during hard efforts
• Noisy breathing, stridor, or gasping sounds
• Breathlessness that comes on suddenly at high intensity
• Symptoms that resolve within minutes of stopping exercise
• Little to no improvement with rescue inhalers

How Is EILO Treated?

Speech therapy is the first-line treatment for EILO. A speech-language pathologist (SLP) with specialized training in airway and breathing disorders works with the athlete to:

• Understand what’s happening in the larynx during exercise
• Learn breathing techniques that keep the airway open under load
• Retrain respiratory patterns progressively from rest to sport-specific intensity
• Develop rescue strategies for acute episodes

With the right therapist, results can be significant, and many athletes return to full performance with little to no residual symptoms.

Not every SLP has training in EILO, as this area of focus is highly specialized. This is a niche area of speech-language pathology, and outcomes are meaningfully better when the treating clinician has focused expertise.

EILO Treatment Options in California – Functional Airway Lab

California athletes have a few options for finding qualified EILO treatment. That’s exactly why Functional Airway Lab exists. We are one of the only practices in California dedicated exclusively to exercise-induced breathing disorders, including EILO, breathing pattern disorder, and exercise-induced bronchoconstriction.

Our specialist, Karie Marsh, SLPD, CCC-SLP, holds a rare combination of credentials, including a doctorate in speech-language pathology, is a certified Buteyko Breathing Practitioner, and an Advanced Oxygen Advantage instructor. Additionally, Karie is trained in the P.I.E. Approach for EILO — one of the most recognized holistic frameworks for treating EILO.

Functional Airway Lab offers in-person sessions in Ventura and telehealth throughout California. We offer a complimentary 15-minute consultation to discuss your symptoms and determine whether EILO may be the right diagnosis.

Contact Functional Airway Lab today:

📞 (805) 754-7768
🌐 functionalairwaylab.com

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This blog is intended for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. If you are experiencing breathing difficulties, please consult a qualified healthcare provider.