Chapter 6
A lacrosse team si practicing on a remote field with no indoor facility in close proximity The weather is rapidly worsening, with the sky becoming dark and the wind blowing harder. 20 minutes are left in the practice session, and the coach is hoping to finish pracitce before it begins to rain. Suddenly, there is a bolt of lightning and an immediate burst of thunder. HOW SHOULD THE AT MANAGE THIS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SITUATION?
As soon as lightning is observed, the AT should immediately end practice and get the athletes under cover. If an indoor facility is not available, automobiles are a relatively sage alternative. The athletes should avoid standing under large trees or telephone poles. As a last alternative, athletes should assume a couched position in a dithc or ravine. If possible, ahtletes should avoid any standing water or metal objects around the field.
A college tennis team from the West Coast must travel to the East Coast to play a scheduled match. The coach has done a lot of traveling and knows that traveling from west to east seems to be more difficult than traveling east to west. This match is important, and the tennis coach asks the AT for advice to help the athletes minimize the effects of jet lag. WHAT CAN THE AT RECOMMEND TO HELP THE ATHLETES ADJUST TO THE NEW TIME ZONE IN AS SHORT A TIME AS POSSIBLE?
Most important, the athletes should leave for the trip well rested. The day before leaving the athletes should go to bed and get up 3 hours earlier than usual. Athletes should reset their watches according to the new time zone once they board the plane. During the trip they should drink plenty of fluids to prevent dehydration, but they should avoid caffeine. Their largest meal should be eaten earlier in the day. On arrival, athletes should immediately adopt the local time schedule for training, eating, and sleeping, and they should get as much sunlight as possible. Training sessions should be done earlier in the day.
A high school football team is doing conditioning outside. The temp is 80F with 85% humidity. The players have their helmets on and are running 100-yard sprints. One player looks like he is becoming fatigued and slightly disoriented. Thirty yards into the sprint, the athlete collapses. WHAT IS THE IMMEDIATE COURSE OF ACTION TO TREAT THIS ATHLETE? WHAT IS WRONG WITH THE ATHLETE?
The AT may suspect that the athlete is experiencing a heat stroke. The course of action includes checkning the athlete's vitals (ABC) and activating the EAP. Remove his helmet and as much excess clothing as is appropriate. The first priority is to cool the individual down as quickly as possible by immersing him in a cold water tub. Continuously monitor his vital signs until the rescue squad arrives. The athlete's core temo should be around 100 F before he is removed from the cold tub. If a cold tub is not available, use cold packs or cold-water spray. Move the athlete into the shade or to a cooler environment if possible.
A high school football coach in southern Louisiana is concerned about the likelihood that several of his players will suffer a heat-related illness during preseason football practice in the first 2 weeks of August. The school has recently hired an AT, and the coach has come to the AT to ask what can be done to minimize the risk of heat-related illnesses. WHAT RECOMMENDATIONS OR INTERVENTION STRATEGIES CAN THE AT IMPLEMENT TO HELP THE ATHLETES AVOID HEAT-RELATED ILLNESSES?
The AT should explain to the coach that heat-related illnesses are, for the most part, preventable. The athletes should come into preseason practice at least partially acclimatized to working in a hot, humid environment and during the first week of practice should become fully acclimatized. Temp and humidity readings should be monitored, and practice should be modified according to conditions. Practice unifors should maximize evaporation and minimize heat absorption to the greatest extent possible. Weight records should be maintained to identify individuals who are becoming dehydrated. Most importatnt, the athletes must keep themselves hydrated by constantly drinking large quantities of water both during and between practice sessions.
A collegiate AD is trying to make a decision about relacing a natural grass playing field with a new synthetic playing surface. He asks the AT to provide him with recommendations relative to the incidence of injury on natural grass versus synthetic turf. WHAT CAN THE AT TELLHIM?
The AT should inform the AD that the trend seems to be moving toward natural grass fields. The research data collected over the years have not clearly indicated that there is a difference in injury rates between natural grass and synthetic turf. However, it does seem that most athletes, coaches, and ATs prefer natural turf. It should also be stressed that the newer synthetic surfaces are more like natural grass and may warrant additional investigagtion.
A track athlete from Florida is traveling to Colorado to compete in a week-long track meet. She is concerned because she will be competing at a much higher altitude than she has been training at in Florida. She wants to make certain that she has a chance to adapt to the higher altitude. WHAT SHOULD THE AT RECOMMEND TO MAXIMIZE HER ABILITY TO COMPETE AT THE HIGHER ALTITUDE?
The safest recommendation would be for the athlete to travel to Colorado 2-3 weeks before the event. If this arrival time is not practical, she should be in Colorado for at least 3 days before her first event.
A track athlete is competing in a day-long outdoor track meet. She is extremely concerned about getting sunburned and has liberally applied sunscreen with an SPF of 30 during the early morning. It is hot, sunny day, and she is sweating heavily. She is worried that her sunscreen has worn off and asks the AT for more sunscreen. The AT hands sunscreen with an SPF of 15 and she complains that it is not strong enough to protect her. WHAT CAN THE AT TELL THE ATHLETE TO ASSURE HER THAT SHE WILL BE WELL PROTECTED BY THE SUNSCREEN SHE HAS BEEN GIVEN?
The sun protection factor(SPF) indicates the sunscreen's effectiveness in absorbing the sunburn-inducing radiation. An SPF of 15 indicates that an athlete can be exposed to ultraviolet light 15 times longer than without a sunscreen before the skin will begin to turn red. Therefore, the athlete needs to understand that a higher SPF does not indicate a greater degree of protection. She must simply apply the sunscreen with an SPF of 15 twice as often as would be neccessary with a sunscreen with an SPF of 30.
A wrester collapses during a match and exhibits signs of profuse sweating, pale skin, mildly elevated temp (102 F), dizziness, hyperventilation, and rapid pulse. When questioned by the AT, the wrester indicates that earlier in the day he took diuretic medication to facilitate water loss in an effort to help him make weight. WHAT TYPE OF HEAT ILLNESS IS THE ATHLETE EXPERIENCING, AND WHAT DOES THE AT NEED TO DO TO MANAGE THIS SITUATION APPROPRIATELY?
The wrestler is experiencing heat exhaustion, which results from inadequate fluid replacement or dehydration. If conscious, the athlete shoud be forced to drink large quantities of water.. By far the most rapid method of fluid replacement is for a ohysician to use an IV. It is desireable , but not necessary to move the athlete to a cooler environment. The athlete should be counseled about the dangers of using diuretic medication.