It is fair to say that the beginning of August was a very exciting time in international sport, with competitors in many different disciplines from all over the world coming together in Paris to represent their sport and their country. We all looked on in awe as these elite athletes performed to the very best of their ability, and marvelled at the training that must have been involved to get that far.
One particular athlete caught our attention here at the practice, since, despite having won a staggering 9 Olympic gold medals across 4 Olympic Games and being the fifth-most decorated athlete in Olympic history, she has recently announced that she suffers from Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (PoTS).
In her memoir Just Add Water: My Swimming Life, Katie Ledecky talks about her experience of PoTS, from the initial onset of symptoms, through to diagnosis, and how she manages her symptoms on a daily basis.
PoTS is a condition charaterised by palpitations, lightheadedness and extreme fatigue when moving from a lying position to sitting or standing up. Symptoms range in intensity from mild to extremely debilitating, and PoTS frequently coexists with other complex conditions such as Joint Hypermobility Syndrome (JHS) and Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Type III (EDS III). A multidisciplinary team of specialists is often required to address the range of symptoms associated with the overlap of these disorders.
On their website, PoTS UK states that many healthcare professionals do not know that PoTS exists, and so it can only be for the greater good that high profile sufferers like Katie share their diagnosis with the world and spread awareness of the condition in the process.
For more information about PoTS, please click here to visit PoTS UK’s website.