Jul 29, 2020Be Prepared for Heat Illness During Practice [SPONSORED]
It’s one of the worst nightmares for an athletic trainer — having an athlete suffer a catastrophic heat illness during a practice or game.
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) published a study that stated heat illness is the leading cause of death and disability among high school athletes. The CDC estimates that an average of more than 9,000 high school athletes are affected by heat illness each year.
Cold water immersion is the most effective way to treat heat-related illnesses and the fastest method of lowering an overheated athlete’s core body temperature. But you must be prepared. Scrambling around for ice, water, and a tub takes time — and this could be time critical to the survival of your athlete.
You have 15 minutes from the onset of heat illness until permanent damage to your athlete begins. That 15 minutes begins much sooner than the point they fall out and are non-responsive.
The warning signs occur earlier in the process than that. The time between the recognition of heat illness symptoms until the athlete’s body temperature is lowered is critical!
Programs of all levels and sizes recognize that having an ice bath ready and on or adjacent to your practice area is the best way to ensure that you are prepared. In many programs, an ice bath involves a black plastic tub, water, and a large quantity of ice. The challenge here is in keeping the temperature of the water low enough throughout the day to help the athlete that needs it. Ice, as we all know, melts and during practices in late summer, it melts fast.
Cold Daddy began helping programs of all levels prepare for the treatment of heat-related illness in 2011 by developing a patented portable water chiller capable of chilling and maintaining water temperature most suitable for treating this malady. While Cold Daddy products are used routinely as a recovery tool for all athletes after practices or heavy workouts, the instant “on-field” access to cold-water provides the most effective and quickest treatment for heat-related
illness.
In preparation for your upcoming season, you will make many plans. The responsibility of any coach and his entire staff is not only to win and grow young athletes in the right way but also to ensure their safety. Whatever you are planning for this year, be prepared for the unfortunate event of a heat-related illness.
