Rider:
Recognizing Signs and Symptoms Key
Athletes who exercise in hot or humid weather are prone to three, progressively more serious, heat illnesses:
- Heat cramps
- Exertional heat exhaustion
- Exertional heat stroke
Symptoms of impending heat illness
In addition to educating young
athletes about both the importance of hydration and the dangers of
heat-related illness, ensuring that they drink enough fluids , and taking precautions to reduce the risk of heat injury in children in hot and humid weather,
you need to watch your child for symptoms of impending heat illness:
- Fatigue and tiredness
- Chills
-
Nausea
- Headache
- Disorientation
- Muscle cramping
- Lightheadedness
- Dizziness
- Thirst
- Grumpiness and irritability
- Feeling hot
- Trouble concentrating
A child continuing to exercise when experiencing any of these symptoms could suffer a heat illness.
Heat Cramps
Overview
- Painful muscle spasms
- Not a medical emergency
- Can be treated by first aid responders
- Usually occurs during or after exercise
- Usually starts by affecting specific muscles exercised
- Can increase in severity by increasing the number of muscles affected
- In severe cases can involve all skeletal muscles in the body
- Probably results from
- Dehydration (either from fluid losses from sweating or failure to re-hydrate during or after sports)
- Electrolytes lost through sweat (salt, potassium, magnesium etc.)
- Fatigue
- No medical attention required
- Usually occurs during or after exercise
- Usually affects only specific muscles exercised
- Probably results from an imbalance of the body's fluid and electrolyte concentrations caused by a loss of electrolytes in sweat.
Symptoms:
- Muscle pain or feeling of "twinges"
- Spasms
- Visually seeing muscles tighten
- Possible nausea and thirst as result of dehydration occuring at same time
Treatment:
- Remove from practice, game or exercise
- Move child to shade
- Have child sip or drink fluids with electrolytes (sports drinks) continually until symptoms stop
- Child should avoid excessive fluid consumption (feeling "sloshy")
- General rule of thumb: continue sipping or drinking after cramps stop until the child has the urge to urinate
- Gently massage and stretch the affected muscles
- Apply ice bags to affected muscles, if tolerated
- Add salt to foods (not by giving salt tablets )
- If symptoms continue and/or child cannot tolerate fluids by mouth, take child to hospital or doctor (no need to call ambulance)
Exertional Heat Exhaustion
What is heat exhaustion?
- A serious heat illness
- May require medical attention
- Probably
results from a reduced blood volume due to excessive sweating, which
causes blood to pool in the extremities, causing the child to faint or
feel dizzy.
Heat exhaustion symptoms
- Nausea
- Extreme fatigue or "jelly legs"
- Headache
- Shortness of breath
- Weak, rapid pulse
- Thirst or dry mouth
- Rectal temperature less than 104 degrees F.
Heat exhaustion treatment:
- Remove child from practice or game
- Move child out of sun to a shady place
- Have the child sip or drink fluids containing electrolytes
(sports drinks) until the symptoms are gone
- Avoid excessive drinking (child has "sloshy" feeling)
- Good rule of thumb: have child continue sipping after cramps are
gone and child has an urge to urinate
- Remove excessive clothing
- Cool (mainly for comfort) the child with fans, cold towels/sheets,
misters, or ice bags on arms or legs
- Hold the child out of playing or exercising in the heat for at least
one full day. Hold out longer if they experience any symptoms when they
try to return.
- Seek medical attention, if no improvement within 15 to 20 minutes
Exertional Heat Stroke (Exercise-Induced Hyperthermia)
Overview
- Life-threatening medical emergency
- Body's temperature is too high
- Left untreated, exertional heat stroke results in death due to organ
damage across all body systems (liver, kidney, brain, etc.)
- Until medical help arrives, the key is to immediately lower
elevated body temperature
Symptoms
- Excessively high rectal temperature (over 104 degrees)(oral,
axillary, tympanic, and temporal measurements are innacurate and cannot
be trusted)
And any or all of the following:
- Erratic pulse (strong and rapid or weak and rapid)
- Lack of coordination
- Collapse
- Low blood pressure
-
Vomiting
-
Headache
-
Loss of consciousness and/or seizure
- Shock
-
Irritability, confusion, disorientation
- Sweaty skin that may be red/flushed or pale
Treatment
- Call 911
- Remove all excessive clothes
- Ice-water
or cold-water immersion with water continually circulating in:
- When not feasible, immediate
and continual dousing with water (either from a hose, multiple water
containers or shower)
combined with fanning and continually rotating
cold, wet towels
on head and neck until immersive cooling can
occur.
Teaser title:
Recognizing and Treating Heat Illnesses
Teaser text:
Athletes who exercise in hot or humid weather are prone to heat illnesses. Here are the signs and symptoms of and treatment for the three kinds of heat illness: heat cramps, heat exhaustion or heat
stroke.
Links:
[1] https://www.momsteam.com/alpha/features/nutrition/ensuring_adequate_fluids.shtml
[2] https://www.momsteam.com/alpha/features/nutrition/precautions_to_avoid_heat_illness.shtml
[3] https://www.momsteam.com/alpha/features/nutrition/electrolytes.shtml
[4] https://www.momsteam.com/node/280
[5] https://www.momsteam.com/node/292
[6] https://www.momsteam.com/node/865
[7] https://www.momsteam.com/node/387
[8] https://www.momsteam.com/node/2446
[9] https://www.momsteam.com/node/5733
[10] https://www.momsteam.com/health-safety/hydration-safety/ice-water-immersion-best-treating-exertional-heat-stroke
[11] https://www.momsteam.com/health-safety/dehydration-signs-and-symptoms
[12] https://www.momsteam.com/sports/football-tackle/safety/why-football-players-at-greater-risk-of-heat-illness
[13] https://www.momsteam.com/health-safety/pre-season-heat-acclimatization-guidelines
[14] https://www.momsteam.com/sports/football-tackle/safety/preventing-heat-illness-during-summer-football-practice
[15] https://www.momsteam.com/nutrition/sports-hydration/heat-illnesses/ten-steps-to-preventing-heat-stroke