Tag: Heat Illness

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South Carolina Athletic Trainer Taking Care of Kids in the Heat

Article reposted from The Press and Standard
Author: Cindy Crosby

In case you haven’t noticed — it is hot! With participation in outdoor fall sports beginning, schools and coaching staffs are taking extra precautions to keep their athletes safe from heat-related issues. In recent visits to both area high schools, coaches and staff members were following strict guidelines to help ensure the safety of their players.
According to the National Weather Service, heat is a leading weather-related issue in the United States that results in fatalities or illnesses. With heat advisories popping up throughout the state, it is important to monitor the heat index, a measure of how hot it really feels when relative humidity is factored together with the actual air temperature. During extremely hot and humid weather, the body’s ability to cool itself is challenged, which can result in heat cramps, heat exhaustion or even a heat stroke.
Cortney Bowers, certified athletic trainer for Colleton County High School, is cranked up for football season – meaning she’s on-duty during practice to help ensure the players’ safety. According to Bowers, South Carolina does not have actual heat regulations, but most athletic trainers within the state use a work/rest/water and continuous work/water consumption guideline made available by Fort Jackson.
“The guidelines are a way for us to categorize the temperature-vs.-work ratio to gauge when we should stop practice due to temperatures,” explained Bowers. “Athletes often don’t realize the toll heat takes on their bodies until they are suffering from a heat-related condition. As temps hit the high notes, I hit the water bottles and get out the Kestrel,” said Bowers. “The Kestrel is a dry-bulb/wet-bulb globe thermometer which measures temperature, humidity and heat index. It will work standing in the middle of a football field.”
Bowers is also charged with helping keep the players hydrated during practice. “I try to keep every player as hydrated as possible throughout practice, with plenty of water on the practice field,” said Bowers. “I have 18-20 sets of water bottles, so each coach has two sets of their own in groups. I have two 20-gallon water boys that I use on opposite sides of the practice field. The linemen, who tend to be bigger, have 4-to-5 sets of bottles and a 20-gallon water boy to help keep them hydrated. Last year, we had a continuous feed water boy purchased for us, which enables me to put ice in the chest and plug it up to a water hose for a continuous flow. On standby, I have 7-8 ten-gallon coolers filled with just ice to replenish the smaller water boys as needed and keep a seven-gallon cooler with towels, ice, water and ice bags in it for emergency.”
The Cougars will go full gear on Wednesday, which means

Bowers will be going a step further in her preparation. “Once we put pads on, I will have a tent on the sidelines,” said Bowers. “I’ll keep the water under the tent and have tubs set up for emergency cold soaks or just for the guys to take a nice dip after practice. I also have the whirlpool inside that is ready to go if needed.”
According to Bowers, part of staying safe in the dangerous heat begins before athletes step on the field. “I preach to these kids to drink lots and lots and lots of water,” she said. “Although some Gatorade is acceptable, nothing beats water. Gatorade, which is heavy in sugar, can actually cause cramping. So, I always tell players if they drink Gatorade, fill the empty bottle back up with water. It is also very important to eat in the mornings before practice — whether it’s eggs and bacon or a peanut butter sandwich, it gives them the necessary energy for practice and helps reduce overheating. Dressing in loose fitting, comfortable clothing or heat gear, is another component to staying cool.”
The State of South Carolina has mandated that all coaches take an annual test through the National Federation of State High Schools on heat illness prevention, concussions and sudden cardiac arrest. This precaution allows coaches to know the signs and symptoms and to both stay educated and help educate.
“With coaches and athletic trainers understanding what to watch for, it means more eyes to watch for signs and symptoms, which is better for our athletes,” said Bowers.

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Ohio Schools receive lifesaving equipment

High school football season is now in full swing with daily rigorous practices in the sweltering heat, and players loaded down with helmets and pads.

In recognition of the dangers that the heat can pose to student athletes, Lake Health announced that it has purchased 12 Polar Life Pods for each Lake County high school and college it works with. These schools include, Perry, Madison, Riverside, Painesville Harvey, Fairport, Andrews Osborne Academy, Kirtland, Eastlake North, Willoughby South, Wickliffe and Mentor, as well as Lakeland Community College.

Polar Life Pods are portable immersion systems that facilitate the rapid cooling of athletes experiencing heat exhaustion, heat stress or heat stroke. The pods resemble a hooded sleeping bag in which an athlete experiencing heat stroke can be easily zipped up in and monitored. An athlete up to 7 feet tall and 400 pounds can be accommodated inside the pod. The Polar Life Pods cost $325 each.

This system is the first of its kind, invented by an athletic trainer from Dayton. The company, Polar Products Inc., is based in Cuyahoga Falls and creates many other cooling products, such as vests and neck wraps.

“In the past, there was no product designed for this purpose. They had to adapt big 300-gallon water troughs that had to be set up ahead of time,” said William Graessle, president of Polar Products Inc. “They’re quite a ways from that reservoir and the reservoir has to be kept really cold the whole practice, which is almost impossible to do. If that water is not ice cold, it can’t cool the athlete quickly.”

The polar pods only require 30 to 60 gallons of water, which are poured in after the athlete is inside the pod. This water can be kept in the same multigallon coolers that athletes drink from.

The pods contain a flotation pillow that allow the athlete to become complete immersed, while keeping their airways clear.

“It hyperextends the neck to keep the airways up high, while still allowing the bottom half of the head and the neck to be in the ice water, very key points for cooling the body,” Graessle said.

The Polar Products Inc. team emphasizes the idea of “cool first, transport second.” Graessle explains that from the time an athlete begins to show symptoms of heat stroke, there is a 15-20 minute window to get the athletes temperature down to 102 degrees. If that can’t be done, the athlete can suffer permanent injuries.

“Brain, heart and nerve damage,” John Smith, director of sports medicine for Lake Health said. “Brain, obviously being the worst, and that’s what goes first.”

Although heat stroke is considered “exceedingly rare” — there have been 11,000 cases of heat stroke in the past 10 years, said Mike Mockbee, senior product manager at Polar Products Inc. — it is also considered 100 percent preventable.

“The only thing that we keep saying is it’s a defibrillator type situation,” Graessle said. “Remember 10 years ago, you didn’t see defibrillators everywhere. Now, they’re everywhere. You hope to never have to use it and that’s kind of the approach here.”

Smith added that these systems are easily used by anyone who has had training with the pods. If an athletic trainer is not on the scene, a coach could easily begin cooling down an athlete suffering from heat stroke.

“It’s safer for the trainers, it’s safer for the athlete and it’s more convenient that you can bring it to all the fields you need,” Mockbee said.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE:
http://www.news-herald.com/general-news/20150903/lake-health-purchases-lifesaving-products-for-area-schools

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Beat the Heat: Keeping student-athletes safe during the hot summer months

Summer is in full swing, and that means outdoor activities, plenty of sunshine and an increased risk of heat-related illness, especially for student-athletes.

There are several types of heat illness and they range in severity, from heat cramps and heat exhaustion, which are common but not severe, to exertional heat stroke, which is a medical emergency. Heat stroke can occur even in cooler conditions, but death from heat stroke is preventable if treated properly.

USA TODAY High School Sports and the National Athletic Trainers’ Association have partnered on a monthly column to address injuries, prevention and related issues to help schools, coaches and student-athletes. Here is the first column from Scott Sailor, the president of NATA.

Here’s what you should know:

Heat Cramps

You might develop cramps when performing strenuous exercise in the heat; however, athletes such as hockey players can develop cramps in colder environments. You will feel intense pain along with persistent muscle contractions that continue during and after exercising.

What you can do: Stop your activity and stretch the muscle that is cramped. Have your athletic trainer assess your cramp to be sure you’re OK to return to activity. If you experience an increase in pain or in the number of muscles cramping, go to the emergency room for treatment.

Heat Exhaustion

When you have fluid or sodium loss while in the heat, you might develop heat exhaustion, a moderately serious illness. Symptoms can include loss of coordination, dizziness, fainting, profuse sweating, pale skin, headache, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach/intestinal cramps or persistent muscle cramps creating an inability to continue exercise in the heat.

What you can do: Get to a cool, shaded area right away. Elevate your feet, remove any equipment and drink fluids. If you don’t improve within minutes, proceed to the emergency room for an evaluation.

Exertional Heat Stroke

This is a very serious illness in which your core body temperature usually exceeds 105 degrees. Exertional heat stroke can lead to loss of consciousness, seizures, confusion, emotional instability, irrational behavior, aggression, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea, headache, dizziness, weakness, increased heart rate, low blood pressure or dehydration.

What you can do: Immediate treatment is critical and includes cooling your entire body, preferably in a bath of cold water, to lower your core body temperature. The National Athletic Trainers’ Association recommends that schools have a tub on site that can be used for this purpose. Even a kiddie pool works in a pinch. Go to the emergency room immediately after cooling for treatment. If an athletic trainer or physician is not on site, call 911 and immediately begin cooling the athlete.

Prevention

It doesn’t matter your sport, gender or where you’re playing – exertional heat illness can happen in any situation when you are not properly acclimatized to the climate in which you’re playing or practicing. It doesn’t matter if you’re in Texas or Maine, playing indoors or outside, what matters is what your body is used to.

Although heat illnesses can be fatal, death is preventable if the symptoms are quickly recognized and properly treated. In general, whether during the summer or when you’re back at school, you can beat the heat by:

  • Having cold sports drinks or water on hand
  • Hydrating before, during and after activity with frequent fluid breaks
  • Removing your helmet, padding and any other equipment that’s not absolutely necessary
  • Wearing clothing that’s lightweight and a light color
  • Properly acclimatizing to the environment and activity

13 STATES HAVE ADOPTED SAFETY GUIDELINES

To date, 13 states have adopted recommended safety guidelines on preseason heat-acclimatization for high school athletes. The guidelines were developed by an inter-association task force spearheaded by the National Athletic Trainers’ Association and established to reduce the number of heat-related illnesses among high school student-athletes.

It takes seven to 14 days for a body to adapt to exercising in the heat. Because of this, the guidelines emphasize the importance of phasing in equipment use and gradually increasing the intensity and duration of exercise and total practice time.

NATA also has created a Heat Illness Infographic that offers safety tips on avoiding heat illness.

The states listed below have adopted preseason heat-acclimatization guidelines and the year the guidelines were adopted. If your state is not on the list, work with the athletic director and athletic trainer at your school, as well as your state high school athletics association to implement the guidelines.

2011: New Jersey, Texas

2012: Georgia, North Carolina, Arkansas, Arizona, Florida

2013: Connecticut, Iowa, Missouri, Utah, Mississippi

2014: Alabama

ORIGINAL ARTICLE:
Beat the Heat: Keeping student-athletes safe during the hot summer months

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Coach raises awareness for athlete safety needs

WAFB 9 News Baton Rouge, Louisiana News, Weather, Sports
School begins Thursday in East Baton Rouge, which means the prep football season is about to kick off.

Players have been practicing in the summer heat. Along with the heat, there is more focus than ever on injuries, leaving some to wonder if local schools have enough resources to keep players safe.

Standing under the oppressive August sun, Tara High School Head Coach Cooter Mansur watches his team practice for the new season. He said he’s got the players for a strong offense and defense, and a full coaching staff to prep his team. However, he said there is one position missing: a certified trainer.

“It’s a big concern for us because we don’t have the means to have people on the sideline that can take care of kids immediately,” said Mansur.

The Louisiana High School Athletic Association highly recommends that athletic trainers be on hand for both games and practices in any sport, but it is up to individual districts to follow the suggestion.

While some schools in East Baton Rouge Parish have a trainer or medical personnel on hand, with some even volunteering time, many schools do not have one on staff for various reasons.

If there is no trainer around, it falls to coaches to keep players safe. Coaches and officials go through first aid training, and everyone is taught how to spot concussion symptoms. During the heat of the summer, extra steps are taken to keep players cool and hydrated.

However, schools could soon be facing new requirements that raise the bar on safety. LHSAA’s Assistant Executive Director Keith Alexander said because of growing concern over concussions and other serious injuries, the group is working on a new rule that would require trainers for all schools.

“Certainly that is a great concern of ours and it should be a great concern to all of our local school boards and our independent school districts,” said Alexander.

According to Alexander, the LHSAA has been working on the new mandate since last year. Before it is approved, it must go through the LSHAA’s medicine advisory committee as well as its principal’s association and executive board.

If all is approved, Alexander hopes the mandate will be in place by next spring. Then, it will be up to schools to find the funding.

“It all takes money unfortunately,” said Mansur.

Mansur is very familiar with the advanced safety equipment and procedures that help cut down on player injuries, and its costs. Even just refurbishing helmets every two years, which is required, can cost thousands of dollars.

That is why Mansur founded Save the Game, Inc. It is a non-profit that raises money to help schools offset the costs of safety equipment and raises awareness for the needs of athlete safety. But, he said concerns over safety are costing schools more than money.

“There’s a 25 percent participation decrease right now in football and it’s due to concussions. If we can do something to help the high schools fund things, that’s a big step in the right direction,” said Mansur.

Mansur hopes to raise enough funds to help schools across the state and maybe even fund a few trainers. To get involved with Save the Game, Inc. email savethegameinc@gmail.com.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE:
http://www.wafb.com/story/29711438/coach-raises-awareness-for-athlete-safety-needs

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football practices begin, heat managed differently than before

Enloe football coach David Green can remember when his high school coach, who after first reading about Gatorade in Sports Illustrated, came to practice with a homemade concoction that he was sure would help the team’s hydration.

It was Kool-Aid made with salt instead of sugar. After all, the story talked about Gatorade having sodium. The coach was no chemist. “Awful,” Green said. “Nobody wanted it.”

Green also recalled the popular practice of kids taking salt pills and using water only to wash out their mouths.

“I don’t know how they didn’t kill all of us,” he said.

High school football coaches and heat-related hydration practices have come a long way.

Gone are the days that a water break was a reward or motivational carrot to dangle in front of players. Coaches have water available at all times. Players are free to walk over, even during drills, and drink as needed.

“I tell them if you need water, go get it,” Fuquay-Varina coach Jeb Hall said. “If you absolutely have to have it, go get it. Nobody’s going to cuss you out.”

IT’S HARD TO MONITOR THE NEW GUYS, THE NINTH-GRADE KIDS YOU DON’T KNOW.

Fuquay-Varina coach Jeb Hall

Most current high school coaches experienced some kind of water experience akin to the ones Green described in their playing days.

“I don’t know that my coach in high school put water out,” said North Johnston coach Ashley Ennis. “We just went and drank it out of a hose pipe. It was just a different time, but then again we were outside all the time. We worked outside and played outside and we were acclimated to it. We got central heat and air conditioning in 1990.”

Summer heat difficult

Athletic trainers must be present starting from the first day of practice – Aug. 1 – through the rest of the season, but sometimes they are not around during the summer. This puts the onus of player safety on the coaches.

Hall, working with several freshmen and sophomores, cut one summer practice short. He didn’t want to stop the drill but wasn’t familiar with many of the players.

“It’s hard to monitor the new guys, the ninth-grade kids you don’t know,” Hall said. “During the summer when there are no trainers here and it’s on us, it’s tough.”

Hall said he sometimes looks at his most experienced and in-shape players – four-year starter at linebacker Austin Pluckhorn and two-way starting lineman Jonathan Cole – and knows if they’ve got their hands on hips, it’s a good time to take a break.

Green, who said he does have a trainer at his offseason workouts, said he’ll delay practice if it’s too hot outside. Sometimes, he’s started a practice, scheduled for 5 p.m., closer to 7 p.m.

“The parents understand that,” Green said. “I’ve never had one parent complain that we’re going to push practice back one hour because it’s too hot.”

Trainers’ word is final

Many trainers have a wet bulb globe temperature monitoring device that monitors all conditions that go into having a safe environment for practice – temperature, humidity, wind and solar radiation – and gives it a numeric value.

A reading under 82.0 is ideal for practices. From 82.0 to 92.0, different restrictions are put into place on how long practice is , how long breaks must be and what players can wear.

I’VE NEVER HAD ONE PARENT COMPLAIN THAT WE’RE GOING TO PUSH PRACTICE BACK ONE HOUR BECAUSE IT’S TOO HOT.

Enloe football coach David Green

Anything 92.1 or above is an immediate cancellation. Practice must stop or move inside.

“I’m not going to say ‘Give us 10 more minutes’ because if somebody falls out, then that would be on me,” Hall said. “It’s like a concussion. … If a trainer says he’s got a concussion, I’m not going to argue it. There’s no reason to argue it.”

Green, who coached at Leesville Road before leaving for Burlington’s Williams High, said he remembers Wake taking steps such as making trainers mandatory before the rest of the state.

“You can’t underestimate the value of having a trainer, particularly a good one, which we have,” Green said.

Ennis follows the heat guidelines and helps his players acclimate to the temperatures by scheduling practices and offseason workouts early in the morning.

“There’s a thin line there, but we make sure we (follow the heat guidelines),” Ennis said. “If it’s oppressively hot, we’ll try to curtail what we do.”

Heat-related deaths

Around the time Green was sipping salted Kool-Aid from his high school football coach, heat-related deaths were more common than today. The National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury Research at the University of North Carolina says there were 15 heat-related deaths in high school football from 1960-64.

There were five in 2000. The next year, Korey Stringer, a Pro Bowl offensive lineman for the Minnesota Vikings, died of complications from heatstroke, creating national awareness.

There were two high school football heat-related deaths in 2014, both from overhydrating – or water intoxication, which occurs when water in consumed in high quantity without giving the body nutrients it needs. No heat-related deaths were reported among high school football players in 2013 and one in 2012.

Ennis urges his players to do their part at home, warning them “You can’t hydrate when you get to practice; it’s too late.”

Hall said he’s seen more kids become ill as a result of their eating – either skipping breakfast or eating too much breakfast – than heat.

I’VE SEEN A NUMBER OF GAMES THAT STARTED AT 7 O’CLOCK THAT WERE HOT. IT’S STILL HOT AT 6 P.M.

North Johnston coach Ashley Ennis

Wake County and other school systems do not allow coaches to practice in the middle of the day before school starts. Green said his teams will mostly practice in the evening, while others opt for times closer to dawn.

“They were doing things in Wake, when I was here before, that the rest of the state hasn’t come up to that protects the players and forces the coaches to take care of these players in the heat,” Green said.

“From my experience with it, it’s been common-sense type of things rather than knee-jerk reactions. It’s been ‘These are things we need to do to keep players safe.’ All in all, it’s been a good move forward and ahead of everybody else. Rather than waiting for something to happen and having some overreaction to it, Wake’s just been out in front of it. They’re listening to good people.”

Careful after school starts

Coaches and trainers won’t be done with monitoring the heat once the season starts. It’s still hot when the season begins in late August, and that’s why coaches know they have to get their teams acclimated.

“I’ve never seen them call off a football game on Friday or Thursday because it was hot, and I’ve seen a number of games that started at 7 o’clock that were hot,” Ennis said. “It’s still hot at 6 p.m.”

Once school starts, practices are often right after school, in the late afternoon.

In practices, a WBGT reading of 87.0 or higher makes the pads come off. But a regular-season game proceeds as normal.

“Friday night it could be hot, humid and nothing’s done then. I don’t know what the best way to do it is because the kids have to get adjusted to the heat, but once we start school we’ll start with our 2:30-5:30 p.m. practices,” Hall said. “Those first couple of weeks back to school, that’s when you really have the heat every single day.”

NCHSAA GUIDELINES

All day limits are for individuals, not teams. A player who misses time may have to sit out a team scrimmage or do non-contact drills while the rest of the team practices separately.

Aug. 1: First practice date. No pads and no hitting are allowed whatsoever on the first two days of practice.

Aug. 4: Players with two days of practice in helmets can wear pads, but no hitting.

Aug. 7: Body-to-body contact begins for players with five days of practice.

Aug. 11: First scrimmages allowed. Players must have three days in full uniform before participating.

Aug. 21: First game. Players must have three days in full uniform before participating.

*Players are allowed to wear helmets and shoulder pads in offseason workouts, but all hitting is banned.

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/high-school/article29651365.html#storylink=cpy

ORIGINAL ARTICLE:
http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/high-school/article29651365.html

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South Carolina Athletic trainers talk safety at practice

The official football practice season is still quite young in South Carolina. High school athletes in the Palmetto State got back out on the field on Friday for the first practice of the season. However, in other states, practice had already started, and in some cases, had tragic endings.

A player in Indiana died earlier in the month at football practice, and on Wednesday, a 16-year-old in Tennessee died after a practice where the heat-index reached 109 degrees.

At several of the local schools on Friday, athletic trainers were on hand to help assure the safety of the athletes returning to practice. In the case of Silver Bluff and Midland Valley these trainers came from the Georgia Regents Sports Medicine Outreach Program, which provides certified athletic trainers to recreational, high school and college sports teams.

Longtime Midland Valley athletic trainer Ashle Cooper, who started the educational efforts of the program in Aiken County, said a big part of keeping the kids safe on the field is educating them about proper nutrition and their bodies.

“Heat-wise, obviously we talk to them about hydration. That’s your No. 1 defense against heat-illness, making sure you’re properly hydrated,” Cooper said. “Coming out here on little to no food or little to no fluids is setting yourself up for disaster. We preach pre-hydration. They have to start before they get to practice.”

Cooper’s coworker in the program and Silver Bluff athletic trainer Christina Haupt, who head coach Al Lown called a huge help to have on the sideline, added that being dehydrated is like a domino effect when it comes to rigorous practice during a season.

“If they’re out here from Monday to Friday and Monday they already come out here dehydrated, on Tuesday it just spirals downward. By Wednesday or Thursday, they’ll be nauseous, dizzy and throwing up,” Haupt said.

Passing on information like that is a vital part of why Cooper said it’s important for every school to have an athletic trainer on staff, not just someone who shows up on Friday night for games. The reality of the situation, however, is that many schools can’t afford to have the type of athletic trainer Cooper refers to.

Cooper offered up some helpful tips for those athletes in the area that may not have the trainers on staff to educate them. She said athletes should eat carbs before practice. Carbs provide the energy for pre-practice. She also said it’s important to take in a protein after practice to help muscles recover. In addition, having a fruit and vegetable as part of a post-practice meal is advised.

Another big part of keeping the athletes safe are the various regulations put on practicing. The South Carolina High School League provides safety recommendations to all high school coaches and athletic directors to make them more aware of how to handle situations.

“Obviously all teams don’t have trainers, so you cant force them into doing anything, but these are adults out there leading students. We expect them to conduct their practices in a way that will keep athletes safe,” said Bruce Hulion, who is in charge of sports medicine and health related issues at the SCHSL.

At football practice, athletes gradually add layers as the first few days go by in order to allow the players’ bodies to get acclimated. On Friday, teams were only allowed to wear helmets. No team in the state is allowed to practice in full pads until Wednesday.

While regulations now exist for many safety risks in youth sports, it took a while for some of those rules to be put into place officially. One of the biggest health issues in the game of football has been concussions, and South Carolina was the second to last state to pass a youth concussion law in 2013.

Both Midland Valley and Silver Bluff take extra steps to assure the athletes safety by performing baseline neurocognitive tests on each athlete which gives the cognitive levels of an uninjured athlete as a tool to aid in recognizing potential concussions or brain injuries.

Cooper said laws and regulations have been especially important in Aiken, where there are many schools in rural areas where the closest medical facility is a great distance away.

“The laws and rules make everybody accountable. In the state, all of the coaches have to take a concussion safety test, and they have to complete education on a yearly basis,” Cooper said. “If I were a football coach, I wouldn’t want to be making the medical decisions for my athletes, but unfortunately sometimes they may be put in a position where they have to be involved with the medical aspect out of necessity. That’s where it becomes important to have the laws and training.”

Student athletes who suffer from a concussion must go through a seven-step return-to-play protocol before returning to action. They must follow up with a physician who is trained in evaluating concussions and then must pass each step symptom free. Once an athlete gets to the fourth step of the return-to-play protocol, the trainer conducts another neurocognitive test and compares that to their baseline test. At that point, the trainer has that information coupled with the sideline concussion assessment done at the time of injury. All of that information is then sent to a physician to look over all of the testing and the athletes progression. Trainers do not allow athletes to go back onto the field of play until they have a signed SCHSL form from an authorized medical proffesional. The SCHSL stipulates that only a medical doctor or doctor of osteopathic medicine licensed to practice in South Carolina can release an athlete diagnosed with a concussion to return to competition.

Once an athlete is returned to contact, they have to complete a full practice without any symptoms of the concussion before getting approved to play in a game.

“You have to monitor them closely. Kids can sometimes not realize that they’re having symptoms because there are so many symptoms associated with concussions that can mimic other things,” Cooper said. “Sitting them down and educating them about the dangers of it and educating the parents is a pretty lengthy process. It’s definitely worth it though. You only get one brain.”

ORIGINAL ARTICLE:
http://www.aikenstandard.com/article/20150801/AIK0301/150809958

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Athletic Trainer Bree Clayton Provides heat illness expertise

Warm weather brings the joys of summer, but also a few additional risks for active children and teens.

Athletic Trainer Bree Clayton from Arkansas Children’s Hospital stopped by THV11 This Morning with tips on how to keep them safe.

Why are young athletes at such risk for heat illness?

-Children and teens don’t get rid of heat through sweat as effectively as adults

-Young athletes often are disciplined enough to make themselves drink

-During practices and games, young athletes are easily distracted and they forget to take breaks and hydrate

Is heat illness still a worry for young athletes, even when we’ve had cooler weather like recently?

– Cooler weather recently means that young athletes are not as acclimatized to warmer temperatures

– Humidity is as important as temperature-with high humidity even temperatures in the 80’s can create dangerous a dangerous heat index

– Full sun exposure can also add as much as 15 degrees to the heat index

– Practice surface, especially artificial turf, also adds radiant heat

– Heat illness can even occur indoors if the temperature is not being controlled.

What are the signs parents/coaches should look for in their young athletes if they suspect heat illness?

– Noticeable Thirst

– Muscle Cramps

– Weakness

– Decreased Performance

– Nausea

– Headache

– Fatigue

– Lightheaded feeling or dizziness

– Difficulty paying attention

What is the best way to prevent it?

– Acclimatization-spending progressively longer times exercising outdoors is very important

– Good night’s sleep

– Well balanced diet consisting of fruits and vegetables

– Plenty of water and sports drinks

–Avoid products that contain lots of sugar and caffeine

–Absolutely no energy drinks! They can actually raise your body temperature.

– Wear as few layers as possible of light weight, moisture wicking material

– Change into dry clothes often

 

Will it help to wear a cooling bandana or other type of cooling towel when they are practicing in pads/helmet and playing games?

– Headbands and cooling towels are only helpful if they stay exposed to the wind.

– If they become wet and stay wet and are under shoulder pads and helmets, they are just going to trap heat in.

– Great for after practice, but probably not good to wear during practice.

What should parents ask of coaches to know that there is a plan in place to address heat illness?

– What type of rest plan does the coach have in place?

– Where can athletes go to cool off during breaks?

– How often are players allowed to drink water during practice?

– What is the school’s plan to treat an athlete that overheats?

– Does the school have an emergency action plan?

– Who monitors the athletes during practice to make sure they are not overheating?

Is water better than sports drinks for preventing heat illness or does it matter?

– Drinking compliance is the key!

– Water is better for overall hydration, but if kids do not like it they won’t drink it.

– Sports drinks have flavor so often times athletes are more likely to drink them.

What role can parents play in keeping their young athletes healthy during the heat?

– Have plenty of their favorite flavor of sports drink at home for before and after practice

– Make sure to have healthy snacks at home.

– Provide well balance meals and make sure your athlete eats-if they are tired they may not feel like, but encourage it

– Allow them to rest indoors in the air conditioning after practice

What should your first steps be if you identify heat illness in your child or another young athlete?

– If minor symptoms like dizziness, lightheadedness, or cramping:

–Rest in a cool place

–Remove wet, constricting clothes

— Give them plenty of water and sports drink

– If they collapse, lose consciousness, or become confuse this is an emergency and could be a heat stroke

–Cool them as rapidly as possible

—Ice bath is preferred method

—Ice packs over as much of body as possible

—Cold shower or ice towels

–Dial 9-1-1

–Remember to cool first and transport second

ORIGINAL ARTICLE:

http://www.thv11.com/story/news/health/2015/07/27/keeping-active-teens-children-safe-during-warm-weather/30723431/

 

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Waxahachie’s AT David “Doc” Bowdoin featured in article about heat illness

Temperatures nearing triple digits, seldom cloud coverage, and long days. There isn’t a better time to be outside.

Most kids in high school are probably spending their summers inside where air conditioning is on full blast.

But for athletes on the Waxahachie football team, a typical day consists of morning workouts at the gym followed by conditioning that takes them outside where two-a-days start in a few weeks.

As it stands, football players have a grace period between spring training and the first day of official practices, which is the second Monday in August, per UIL mandate.

Coaches are not allowed to hold practices during the summer, leaving off-season training up to the athletes between May and August.

And although athletes might not like working out in the summer because of the heat, maybe instead they should embrace it, said David “Doc” Bowdoin, Waxahachie’s head athletic trainer.

“When you’re talking about heat, you’re not going to get away from it in Texas unless you get an El Niño season when it’s cooler,” Bowdoin said. “And you’re going to play in it. When we go to Midlothian, we’re going to be sitting in a hole. And on that turf, it’ll probably be 115 degrees at game time. Maybe more.”

Waxahachie opens its season at Midlothian on Aug. 28 and unlike Lumpkins Stadium, the field at Midlothian’s Multi-Purpose Stadium was built beneath the ground, making it hotter during the summertime.

But if the players at Waxahachie become as used to the heat as they should, said Bowdoin, then there won’t be any health issues come game day.

“I truly believe that you have to get those kids exposed out there. Because that’s what they’re going to be playing in,” Bowdoin said. “You have to get them out there in it, but you have to be careful. Have to be real careful.”

Heat illnesses aren’t uncommon for football players, especially those in Texas where temperatures typically reach the high 90s and stay there for the duration of the summer.

That’s why Bowdoin and Indians head coach Jon Kitna take no exception to stressing the importance of heat awareness to athletes and parents.

At a recent parent player meeting, Kitna highlighted three of the four heat related disorders: cramps, syncope, and exhaustion. Heat stroke is the final stage of a disorder and can result in death as the body stops secreting sweat to cool itself down, Bowdoin said.

Waxahachie’s goal is to avoid the final stage at all costs, which is why Kitna and Bowdoin emphasize the other three disorders with the intent to get high school athletes to understand just how vital it is to drink fluids and eat, especially in the summer.

“The heat isn’t going anywhere. It’s not disappearing at all,” Bowdoin said. “The cramps and stuff that you see during games, we can deal with that. What you don’t want is to get them so bad where they’re nauseous, vomiting, in-and-out of consciences, stuff like that because then that tells you they’re so depleted, they’ve lost so much fluid and stuff that their body doesn’t want to do it anymore and that’s when you have to make a decision.”

As severe as some of the symptoms are for heat illnesses, Bowdoin said it’s still difficult to teach athletes the importance of taking precautions and bracing yourself for working out in the heat.

Bowdoin has worked in sports medicine the last 24 years and has been the athletic trainer at Waxahachie for 21 of those years.

He’s seen it all when it comes to high school athletes working out in the summer.

Since beginning his career at Texas Christian University, he’s also seen the changing influence PlayStation’s and Xbox’s have had on students.

“They want to stay inside and play their video games and that’s cool, but when I was growing up we were outside all the time. We were used to it,” Bowdoin said. “The dynamics have changed in society.”

PlayStation, however, isn’t the only thing that’s changed since Bowdoin was a trainer for the Horned Frogs.

He’s also seen technology improve and how different medical practices are more beneficial today.

“In the old days, you fill up an ice tub full of cold water, no matter how cold it is, and you dunk them in it. That’s not good,” Bowdoin said. “We’ve learned now that if we do that with a kid that’s having some problems with heat illness, the later stages maybe or in between stages, you send the body into shock and you drive the heat that’s inside their body further down and it damages their organs. Our answer to that is cool water, not just cold cold cold water.”

In addition to changing treatment methods, Bowdoin also said teams have adjusted their workouts so athletes can respond better to the heat.

“Instead of just running wind sprints back in the old school days where you run 100 yards and turn around and run another 100 yards, the coaches do some things like dynamic stretching and dynamic ballistic stretching,” he said. “They do different types of conditioning. We’ve got a lot smarter with that.”

Given Waxahachie’s new direction on offense and defense, the Indians will rely heavily on their speed, which comes from conditioning, Bowdoin said.

Kitna and the coaching staff have been implementing a spread offense, similar to what Baylor University runs and plan to go without huddling this season.

The increase in pace could be a toll on the player’s, but the goal for the team is to suffocate each of their opponents based on their speed, Bowdoin said.

“You have to be in shape. It’s a necessity based on upon what we want to do,” he said.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE:

http://www.waxahachietx.com/waxahachietx/bowdoin-get-used-to-heat/article_da6246e3-3381-5b06-ad69-d314efcdfadb.html

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Football practice starts soon • Summer heat a big concern

It’s scorching hot, and once again as football practice time nears, coaches are concerned.

“Maybe we will get a break in it,” said Sam Pearson, head coach of the Marshall Academy Patriots.

At the same time, Pearson and other coaches in Marshall County know those hopes are a long shot. In recent years, the hottest temperatures of the summer have greeted them on the practice field and even at the start of the season. This year is stacking up to be no different.

“It could be hot all the way to October,” said Chris Daniels, head coach of the H.W. Byers Lions.

Pearson will be the first to put his team on the practice field, beginning in a week, Thursday, July 30.

He said, based on the August heat in recent years, he would be in favor of pushing the season back two or three weeks.

“We can talk about precautions and safety, but really there is only so much we can do once we get into it,” he said, “particularly on game night. You can monitor it better in practice.”

Pearson said his tentative plan is to practice an extended period in the evenings when preseason drills start.

“We will probably go about an hour and a half, give them a 30-minute or so break, and then go back for an hour,” he said.

The Patriots will play in a jamboree at Oxford High School Saturday, August 15, before opening the season Friday, Aug. 21, at Starkville Academy. He expects about 30 players this season.

The public schools in the county will open practice on Monday, Aug. 3, which is also the day teachers report for in-service training prior to the first day of school Thursday, Aug. 6.

Coach Daniels said he tries to get his Lions outside as much as possible during the summer (while school is out).

“That’s one of the reasons why seven-on-seven is so important,” he said. “We want to get them acclimated to the heat. But still, once they put on those helmets and shoulder pads (in August), it adds about 20 to 25 degrees to the temperature for them. We have to give them lots of breaks and keep them hydrated as best we can.”

His Lions will participate in a jamboree hosted by fellow county school Byhalia on Friday, Aug. 14. Action starts at 5 p.m.

Other schools participating are county school Potts Camp and Coahoma Agricultural High School.

Byers starts the regular season Friday, Aug. 21, at neighboring rival Benton County.

At Holly Springs High School, head coach Donald Deans said his Hawks may take to the practice field in the evenings, like at 7, when August 3 rolls around.

“We will just have to see what happens with this weather,” he said. “Safety is of utmost importance – keeping the kids hydrated.”

The Hawks will host Tunica Rosa Fort in a jamboree on Friday, Aug. 14. “Meet the Hawks” activities will begin at 6 p.m.

Holly High hosts rival Byhalia to begin the season on Friday, Aug. 21.

Deans said he is excited about the improvements being made at Sam Coopwood Park, like new fencing around the football field. He said he appreciates the support from the city and others who have helped.

“It’s looking good,” he said. “We’re trying to upgrade our facilities and continue to make good things happen.”

Potts Camp kicks off its regular season Friday, Aug. 21, by visiting Hatley.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE:

http://www.southreporter.com/index.php/sports/1104-football-practice-starts-soon-summer-heat-a-big-concern