As the start of another school year looms and practices for fall sports begin, young athletes are challenged by the hot weather and face significant heat injury and illness risks, say experts from the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM).

Education, planning, acclimatization, modification, and monitoring are all key to keeping heat injuries and illnesses at bay - effective prevention strategies that coaches supervising practices often don't implement, says Michael F. Bergeron, Ph.D., an ACSM Fellow and one of the nation's most highly regarded youth sports heat stress experts.

"Teaching coaches the warning signs of heat illness would be a huge step toward prevention," said Bergeron, "But it's not enough. Coaches need to progressively introduce practice duration and intensity, as well as the uniform and any protective equipment, so that young athletes can safely adapt. Regular fluid breaks should be mandatory and practice should be appropriately modified for safety as the heat and humidity increase. All athletes need to be closely monitored for signs and symptoms of developing heat illness, and participation should immediately stop and medical attention should be promptly sought at the earliest point of recognition."

The National Center for Catastrophic Injury Research, commissioned by the National Federation of State High School Associations, says that "heat-related deaths continue to be the cause of a majority of indirect deaths" in high school sports. In the report, heat stroke and other heat illnesses were experienced in a variety of sports, including cross-country running and wrestling, with wrestlers working out in heat-holding rubber suits to try to "make weight" for events. Even marching bands should be concerned and take precautions - a study at the 2009 ACSM Annual Meeting showed band participants had heat illness risk and levels similar to those of athletes.

"Football might get the most attention for severe heat-related injuries and illnesses, but the risk in other sports is very real.", says Bergeron.

The ACSM provides helpful prevention guidelines that can be applied to all outdoor sports, not just football:

- 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.

 

 

Cristie Bennett, MPT, recently transferred from our Novato clinic to our San Anselmo clinic. Cristie, who was born and raised in Davis, CA, received her B.S. in Kinesiology from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo in 2006 and is a recent graduate of the MPT program at Cal State, Northridge. She brings with her several years of physical therapy experience focused on sports-specific conditioning, manual therapy, modalities and therapeutic exercise. She is also a certified Pilates Instructor. Although she will miss her Novato patients, as a resident of San Anselmo, Cristie is looking forward to a very short commute!