Monitor Heat Illness: Fall Sports Athletes

We’ve heard sad stories of high school football players being overcome by heat illnesses during particularly hot days, but it’s important to understand that all athletes who participate in sports in the fall are at risk as well. These include tennis players and even wrestlers. We also can’t forget about the other students who spend time outside, such as those in the marching band. This is physically strenuous and out in the heat as well.

The only way to ensure the health and safety of fall athletes is through education of the coaches, the parents, and the athletes themselves. While the athletes may feel they’re invincible and the coaches want to see their athletes work, there has to be a balance, which keeps the kids from developing heat-related illnesses.

What is a heat-related illness?

There are a few levels of heat-related illnesses. As a person progresses through one and goes to another level, it becomes more difficult to treat and more serious.

Heat Cramps: This is the first sign of a heat-related illness and should be taken seriously to prevent worsening. As the athlete exercises and perspires, he or she loses salt in the sweat. This causes the cramping. The cramps usually are felt in the arms, legs, and/or abdomen.

Heat Exhaustion can occur to anyone who is in the heat for a prolonged period of time and doesn’t drink enough fluids to replenish the body’s needs. Athletes are more prone to it as they are actively moving about and losing even more fluid. The signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion include:

• dehydration – feeling very thirsty, dry
• fatigue and weakness
• clammy skin
• headache
• nausea and/or vomiting
• rapid breathing
• irritability

The next stage, heat stroke, is an emergency. In heat stroke, the body’s temperature is higher than the brain can bear. The signs and symptoms include:

• flushed, hot, dry skin with no sweating (the body is no longer able to sweat)
• temperature of 105° F (40.6° C) or higher
• severe, throbbing headache
• weakness, dizziness, or confusion
• sluggishness or fatigue
• seizures
• sluggish, slow to respond
• loss of consciousness

This is a medical emergency and you must get help immediately before brain damage has a chance to set in.

The American College of Sports Medicine issued a warning about this concern and recommendations to reduce the risks to athletes and others who spend time outdoors in the heat:

· Avoid holding practices between 12 and 4 p.m., typically the hottest hours of the day (although later hours can also be as hot or hotter).
·          When heat is extreme, hold practices indoors or use outdoor practices as lighter walk-through sessions.
·          Increase the frequency and duration of rest breaks in the shade during practice, and give plenty of opportunities for sufficient fluid consumption.

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