Avoiding
and Preventing Heat Related Injuries When Playing Soccer
Proper
Hydration to AVOID AND PREVENT HEAT RELATED INJURIES WHEN PLAYING
SOCCER
There are some simple guidelines which have been
prepared by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) when it
comes to running activities in a hot and/or humid environment. The
goal in participating in hot weather is to avoid fluid loss from the
body or dehydration. Water not only accounts for some 98% of our body
composition, but functions to help
deliver oxygen to working muscles, and keeps the body from
overheating during strenuous activity. Hard working muscles generate
heat which is dissipated through the act of sweating.
Evaporation
of sweat on the skin allows the body to get rid of this heat and cool
it off. In looking at the objectives
for
advising officials and participates about this subject it seems that
the following categories are
areas requiring attention:
green
–
proceed with caution heat stress possible
amber
–
moderate risk to heat stress
red
-
high risk to potential heat stress
If
used they should be posted at locations easily seen by participants,
support staff, medical staff and spectators.
The other issue to
consider is, and you may be asking yourself at this point, what are
the risk factors which could predispose a soccer player to heat
injury. Listed below are a the major risk factors but this is by no
means an exhaustive list:
Not being
acclimatized
Unfit
Hypo hydration
Hyper hydration
Use of a variety of
medications or supplements
Persons with
persistent, disabling mental illness
Certain medical
conditions (cardiac, lung)
How can you tell
if one of your soccer players is experiencing heat injury? Below is a
list of the early warning signs to look for and again this is not an
exhaustive list:
Flushed face
Hyperventilation or
shortness of breath
Headache
Dizziness
Tingling arms
Goose bumps (hair
on arms standing on end)
Chilliness
Poor coordination
Confusion,
agitation, uncooperativeness
A preseason or pre –
event conditioning program, when combined with an 8 – 14 day period
of acclimatization, may further reduce the risk of heat injury.
There
are 3 main types of heat injury identified in the medical
literature:
Heat Cramps
– these are the mildest form
of heat trauma and are commonly related to low body sodium and
chloride levels.
Heat Exhaustion
– this is a more severe medical event as follows.
Signs &
Symptoms include
– weakness, irritability, collapse, unable to sweat adequately to
promote body cooling, may proceed in the more ominous heat stroke
and a fine rash is often present.
Treatment –
remove athlete to a cooler environment, use ice baths, fans.
Heat Stroke
– THIS
IS A MEDICAL EMERGENCY
– it is due to a failure of the heat-controlling mechanism. It may
occur merely as a result of exposure to heat.
Signs &
Symptoms include
– mental confusion, headache, poor coordination, delirium,
convulsions and death. The body temperature may be 106 F or 40.5 C
or higher, the skin is usually hot and dry as the sweating
mechanism has failed.
Treatment -
Call
911 and transport to a local Hospital.
Rapid cooling is the goal using wet towels, spray mist, sponge
baths and removal from the heat. This condition could cause the
athlete to go into shock and coma may follow so immediate medical
attention is required.
Reference:
American
College of Sports Medicine POSITION STAND. Exercise and Fluid
Replacement, Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise,
2007
Acknowledgements:
Dr.
Rudy Gittens
Past Medical Director, Canadian Soccer
Association
Submitted
by:
Dr.
Robert Gringmuth
Chair, OSA Medical Advisory Committee
To educate
athletes and event officials
about the most common forms of environmental illness including
predisposing conditions, warning signs, susceptibility and incidence
reduction
To advise
officials of their legal responsibilities and potential liability
with regard to event safety and injury prevention
To recommend
that officials consult local weather archives
and plan games at times likely to be of low environmental stress to
minimize detrimental effects on athletes
To encourage
officials to warn athletes about environmental stress
on game \ practice day and the implications for heat and cold
illness
To inform
officials of preventive actions
that may reduce debilitation and environmental illness
To describe the
personnel, equipment, and supplies necessary to reduce and treat
cases of collapse and environmental illness.
To this end,
after review of the available literature and after consultation of
various medical authorities and officials it was felt that the
following recommendations are some key guidelines for soccer
participation in the heat:
Avoid dehydration
and make sure you pre-hydrate: Don’t wait till you feel thirsty
because the body will not be able to tell you in time that you are
dehydrated, here are some practical recommendations:
2 hours before
exercise, drink at least 16 oz or 500 ml (an average bottle of
water)
1 hour before
exercise, drink at least 08 oz or 250 ml (half an average bottle of
water
During the
exercise, drink at least 4 to 8 oz every 15 – 20 minutes
mmediately after
the exercise, drink at least 16 oz or 500 ml of water or an
electrolyte replacing drink
1 hour after a
training session or game consider drinking 16 oz or 500 ml of skim
milk or chocolate milk for protein and muscle repair
As a rule of thumb
you should drink at least 500 ml for every 20 lbs of body weight,
therefore, someone weighing 140 lbs needs to drink at least 3500 ml
of fluid per day if training or playing that day.
Drinking
carbohydrate and electrolyte fluids may be beneficial in avoiding
heat trauma.
Wearing light
breathable clothing is advised.
Officials should be
very cautious in authorizing games and practices in environments
where the temperature plus humidity combined are 35 C and over. They
should enquire of the participants to ensure pre-event hydration,
medication use and susceptibility to heat injury ( prior
occurrence). Also unlimited substitution is recommended during games
as is frequent fluid brakes and fluid availability on both sides of
the field.
