Test OVERVIEW

Active pulse oximetry measures how much oxygen the hemoglobin in your blood is carrying during exercise. This is called the active oxygen saturation and is a percentage (it is scored out of 100). It's a simple, painless test which uses a sensor placed on your finger.  Normal blood oxygen levels during exercise in healthy athletes should remain above 95 percent.   Low levels under 90 percent (hypoxemia), can be dangerous and will hold back performance.

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WHY

​Why would you do this test?  Pulse oximetry measures how much oxygen the hemoglobin in your blood is carrying. This is called the oxygen saturation and is a percentage (scored out of 100). It's a simple, painless test which uses a sensor placed on your fingertip or earlobe.  When an athlete has lower oxygen saturation at rest typically their bodies will fatigue sooner than athletes with normal O2 saturation.

 

RECOMMENDED

Who is this test recommended for?  Oxygen saturation testing in both static and active states are recommended for every athlete regardless of age and sport the play.

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HOW OFTEN

How often should you repeat this test?  Oxygen saturation testing is recommended every 1-2 months if levels are normal and every week if levels remain low.

 

BODY PARTS

​Which body parts are or can be tested?  Oxygen saturation tests the oxygen carried in the blood.

 

RESULTS

What are the results of this test? This measures the amount of hemoglobin in your blood. Hemoglobin is a protein in your red blood cells that carries oxygen from your lungs to the rest of your body.  If the athletes levels are below 95% they should be monitored.

 

SUMMARY

 What does this help to improve? Oxygen saturation testing is a simple straight forward test that provides a quick snapshot of how the athletes body is transporting the life supporting energy called oxygen.

 

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