ABSTRACT
Until recently, people with epilepsy had been strongly discouraged and even prohibited from participating in sports activities. This advice had traditionally been based upon a largely common-sense and conservative approach as regards the potential theoretical risks of participation in sports. The reasoning behind this advice included the concern that the occurrence of a seizure during certain exercises could pose substantial risk to the participant. In addition, it had been argued that repeated or severe head injury during contact sports could exacerbate seizures in a patient known to have epilepsy. Although these concerns and risks still remain, the latest evidence suggests the need for a more reasoned and less conservative approach, which leads to few restrictions overall. This chapter reviews clinically relevant aspects of the relationship between epilepsy and exercise.
