As School Begins Heat Linked Injuries Climb

Thousands of high school athletes, mostly football players, are sidelined every year due to heat-related illnesses, and most occur during the preseason, primarily in August, the CDC says in a new report. The report also says that heat-related injuries are more likely to occur among overweight athletes.

Heat-related illnesses included in the study included dehydration, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke, which is considered a medical emergency and can lead to loss of consciousness and health problems affecting the heart, brain, and kidneys

Thirty-one high school football players have died from heat stroke since 1995, the report states, citing data from the National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury Research.

“One death due to heat-related illness is too many,” says Michael McGeehin, PhD, MSPH, and director of CDC’s Division of Environmental Hazards and Health Effects. “Heat-related illness is preventable. The more we know about how and when it happens, the better we can prepare people who may be most at risk.”

The CDC says student athletes, their parents, coaches, and trainers should be educated about the symptoms of heat-related problems as well as the importance of proper hydration before, during, and after practices, games, or any strenuous activity.

The report says coaches should make sure student athletes have time to become acclimated to hot weather, increasing intensity and duration of practice sessions gradually over a two-week period.

Athletes should drink plenty of water and sports beverages and take breaks, or rest periods, to avoid heat-related injuries, the CDC says. The researchers say that coaches and others in charge of athletics should take into consideration not just heat but relative humidity and wind speed. The scientists say players who show signs of heat illness, including vomiting or headache, should be evaluated immediately by a health professional.

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Hamilton Erridge is a weight loss professional. New Lifestyle Diet helps people lose weight and stay healthy by providing information and resources that help people make a lifestyle change so that the extra pounds shed are never put back on.