Chapter 25

2. Chapter 25 Special Considerations in Athletes

3. Objectives • Upon completion of this chapter, you should be able to: • Explain how climate affects athletic performance • Describe the difference between heat exhaustion and heatstroke • Explain the five ways the body loses heat • Describe how to treat hypothermia and hyperthermia

4. Objectives (cont’d.) • Upon completion of this chapter, you should be able to (cont’d.): • Explain how different skin conditions are exacerbated by athletics • Explain the effects of diabetes and how it can be managed • Explain how epilepsy affects the body • Explain a systemic reaction to an insect bite • Describe the female athlete triad

5. Special Considerations in Athletics • Each athlete brings unique conditions or concerns • Important for the athletic staff to know • Range from previous injuries to potentially life-threatening allergies to bee stings • Training staff needs to be aware so they can be prepared

6. Environmental Conditions and Athletic Participation • Stress • Heat stress • Hypothermia • Athletes need to be well hydrated, rested, and in good physical condition • To reduce body temperature move the victim to a cool location, remove unnecessary clothing, and pour cool water over extremities

7. Environmental Conditions and Athletic Participation (cont’d.) • Dehydration • On average, we lose between three and six liters of water daily • One hour of exercise can demand a 50% increase water amount the body uses • Three levels: mild, moderate, severe • Sunburn • Ultraviolet (UV) light can lead to skin cancer and premature aging

8. Environmental Conditions and Athletic Participation (cont’d.) • Heat cramps • May signal first stage of heat illness • Occur most commonly in calf muscles • May also affect quadriceps, hamstrings, or abdominal muscles • Heat syncope (fainting) • Occurs when body attempts to cool itself by dilating blood vessels to speed up evaporation

9. Environmental Conditions and Athletic Participation (cont’d.) • Heat exhaustion • Near-total body collapse • Mild form of heat illness • Heatstroke • Most severe heat-related condition • Involves a breakdown of the body’s heat-regulation mechanism

10. Environmental Conditions and Athletic Participation (cont’d.) • Cold stress • Body loses heat through: respiration, evaporation, conduction, radiation, and convection

11. Environmental Conditions and Athletic Participation (cont’d.) • Wind chill • Rate of heat loss resulting from combined effect of low temperature and wind • Hypothermia • Body heat is lost faster than can be replaced • May be impending, mild, moderate, or severe • Frostbite • Skin tissue and blood vessels are damaged from exposure to temperatures below 32°F

12. Skin Conditions in Athletes • Acne mechanica • Acne that results from heat, pressure, occlusion, and friction • Plantar warts • Small, hard growths on the bottom of the foot • Herpes gladiatorum • Herpes simplex infection transmitted through skin-to-skin contact

13. Skin Conditions in Athletes (cont’d.) • Fungalinfections • Tinea pedis: fungal infection that thrives in warmth and dampness • Blisters • Friction, heat, and moisture increases risk • Tear occurs within upper skin layers, forming a space into which that fluid seeps

14. Skin Conditions in Athletes (cont’d.) • Abrasions • Normally caused by poorly fit equipment or rubbing of skin • Jogger’s nipples • Constant chafing between a runner’s nipples and shirt causes painful, crusted lesions that bleed

15. Diabetes • Disease in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin • A hormone needed to make cells absorb sugar from blood • Genetics and environmental factors (e.g., lack of exercise) appear to play roles

16. Diabetes (cont’d.) • Type 1 diabetes • Results from the body’s failure to produce insulin • Type 2 diabetes • Occurs when the body still makes insulin but: • Does so in insufficient amounts or • Produces insulin that does not function properly

17. Diabetes (cont’d.) • Diabetic emergencies • Insulin reaction • Occurs when there is too much insulin in the body • Diabetic coma • Occurs when there is too much sugar and too little insulin in the blood

18. Seizure Disorders • Disruptions of normal brain activity • Epilepsy: seizures recur regularly • Other causes include: • Infections, high fever, brain tumors, drugs, strokes, bleeding in the brain, trauma to the brain, and low blood glucose, sodium, or calcium

19. Seizure Disorders (cont’d.) • Types: • Simple partial seizure • Jerking begins in one area of the body • Cannot be stopped, but person stays awake and aware • Generalized tonic-clonic seizures • Characterized by a sudden cry, falling, and rigidity, followed by muscle jerks, shallow breathing or temporarily suspended breathing, bluish skin, and possible loss of bladder or bowel control

20. Insect Bites and Stings • Two greatest risks: • Allergic reactions • Local • Systemic • Infections • Epinephrine injection is the only effective immediate treatment

21. The Female Athlete Triad • Combination of: • Disordered eating • Amenorrhea (lack of menstrual periods) • Osteoporosis

22. The Female Athlete Triad (cont’d.) • Warning signs: • Frequent or unexplained injuries • Excessive or compulsive exercise • Change in performance • Impaired concentration • Absent or irregular menstrual periods • Restrictive eating • Use of weight-loss products or supplements

23. Conclusion • Many health and safety factors that must be taken into account when participating in athletics • Factors (e.g., the environment) can turn a positive situation into a dangerous one • Understanding causes of environmental-related illnesses helps the athlete plan ahead and stay within safe limits

24. Conclusion (cont’d.) • Other concerns are specific medical conditions that may limit or curtail athletic competition • The athlete must be made aware of illnesses and conditions that can affect their performance and health • Quick recognition and treatment will ensure good health and optimal performance