Environmental Conditions - CH. 6 Flashcards
in the event of heat stress - why would having the sickle cell trait be of concern?
RBC don’t carry as much oxygen as they should
distorted shape increases the likelihood of clogs in the blood stream - can lead to ischemia to different parts of the body - leads to stroke, heart attacks and/or death
adding hyperthermia to the mix of things decreases performance and increases risk of above
what are the factors that cause the “sickling” of the RBC?
acidosis
hyperthermia
dehydration of RBC
severe hypoxemia
factors/ mechanisms that affect body temperature
metabolic heat production - intensity of activity
conductive heat exchange - physical contact with objects
convection - mvmnt of air and water around us
radiation - sun beaming down at us during activity
evaporative heat loss - depends on amount of sweating one produces
what is a concern with having a football practice in an area that is 80% humidity and is in the month of June?
in order for the sweat to evaporate, the air around us must be mostly free from H2O
heat loss/ evaporation impaired at - 65%
evaporation STOPS 75% humidity
the ability for the athletes to cool off are impaired and are more susceptible to heat-related illness
an athlete comes to you on the sideline looking like a hot mess - their hands and/ feet are swollen, they feel like they need to throw up, they’re telling you that their headache has been getting worse but they weren’t hit in the head or anything. The claimed they’ve been trying to drink as much water throughout practice but it doensn’t seem to be helping - what condition do you think this athlete has? how would you mng?
hyponatremia
mng: delay rehydration, refer to advanced medial care immediately
when replenishing the gatorade drinks prior to a practice what should the recommended amount of electrolytes to water ratio be?
if the drink has at least 6% carbs, then diluting the drink is not needed (14g/ 1 cup of water)
concentrations of >8% slows gastric emptying
as such, if a regular packet of gatorade is about 13% carbs - the drink must be diluted to have at least half of the bottle
if your team decides to go to Hawaii for their training camp - what could you suggest as a way for the team to properly acclimatize to the weather?
travel there at a week or two before the start of training camp (ideally 2/3)
modify amount of equipment being used over the first couple days (at least considered) - move to heavier clothes as acclimatization progresses
1st 5-6 days of practice: 2 hr slots @ morning & night
2 hr sessions ideally consists of: 20 min work followed by 20 minute rest in shade
if you were in charge of weighing players before and after practice? what does a 2% decrease in fluid relative to BW tell you?
they could be severely dehydrated at that point - replenish fluids asap
they must be taken out of practice until normal BW has returned
according to the wetbulb globe temperature index - what should the “recommended” precautionary actions be for the following temperature readings (assuming you’re working in direct sunlight):
>80 80-85 85-88 88-90 >90
> 80 (white) : no precautions
80-85( green) : at least 15 mins worth of breaks/ hour
85-88(yellow): at least 30 mins worth of breaks/hour
88-90(red): at least 40 mins worth of breaks/hour
90 (black): at least 45 mins worth of breaks/hour
an athlete has passed by you on the sideline and you notice that their face is a lot more “redder” than usual and you notice little bumps on their skin on their arms. You’ve been practicing in the direct sun for at least an hour, what might you suspect?
heat rash
mng: towel the body dry
tx for heat syncope
lay the person down in a cool shady area
replace fluids
elevate extremities
what has likely caused an athlete to go into exercise-associated heat cramps?
traditional theory: water and electrolyte imbalances
current evidence: altered NMC due to overload and fatigue of the mm (mm spindle activation increases as mm fatigue starts - causing increased contraction)
however adequate work: rest ratios and fluid replacement are still recommended in tx
tx for heat exhaustion
remove from play to cool shady area
ice packs at armpit, b/w thighs, behind head, forehead
you see athlete who looks like they have no idea what’s going on - they’re disoriented. They’re not sweating and their skin is hot and dry. They have trouble breathing and their pulse is stupidly high - what might you suspect? how to mng?
heat stroke
refer EMS immediately
immersion in cool bath (neck level) - w/in 30 min of heat stroke episode
OR
cool sponge bath with a fan
***must be cleared with physician within 7-21 days
It’s a sunny/hot afternoon and an athlete comes to you complaining of muscle pain (you notice their muscles are super rigid) after exercise, they have a hard time breathing - what might you suspect? mng?
malignant hyperthermia - hypersensitivity to anaesthesia and hot environments where the temperature of the muscles increases faster than the core temp - lead to destruction of muscles
these athletes must be disqualified from competing in hot environments
It’s a hot and humid afternoon. This particular day the coach is making the athletes do a bunch of suicide lines after every drill if they screw up. After the practice, an athlete complains of fatigue, weakness and a bit of swelling in the extremities. They went to go to the washroom and they’ve disclosed that they had dark urine - they are concerned as to what’s happening to them. What might you suspect?
Acute exertional rhabomyolysis - sudden desctruction of skeletal mm - leads to mm proteins & enzymes into the vascular system - overloads the kidneys = possible renal failure
refer to EMS immediately
