ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS THAT AFFECT ATHLETES

WHAT IS HOMEOSTASIS? STATE OF EQUALIBRIUM WITHIN THE BODY MAINTAINED THROUGH THE ADAPTATION OF THE BODY SYSTEMS TO CHANGE TO EITHER THE INTERNAL OR EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT EXAMPLES: DECREASE OF O2 IN THE BODY  BREATHING INCREASES CORE BODY TEMPERATURE DROPS  BODY SHIVERS CORE BODY TEMPERATURE UP  BODY SWEATS BODY TISSUE NEEDS MORE O2  HEART RATE INCREASES

HYPOTHALAMUS CONTROLS HEAT BY MONITORING NERVE IMPULSES FROM TEMPERATURE RECEPTORS IN THE SKIN AND BLOOD FLOW TO THE BRAIN LIKE A THERMOSTAT FOR A ROOM

CONVECTION, RADIATION, & EVAPORATION 80% OF THE BODY’S HEAT LOSS IS THROUGH THE SKIN AS BLOOD TEMPERATURE INCREASES THE HYPOTHALAMUS SENSES THE INCREASE: THE HYPOTHALAMUS SIGNALS NERVE IMPULSES TO DIALATE BLOOD VESSELS THIS CAUSES AN INCREASE IN HEAT LOSS THROUGH CONVECTION AND RADIATION HYPOTHALAMUS SIGNALS NERVE IMPULSES IN THE SWEAT GLANDS TO STIMULATE PERSPIRATION THIS CAUSES AN INCREASE OF HEAT LOSS THROUGH EVAPORATION

CONVECTION, RADIATION, & EVAPORATION

FLUID LOSS JUST A 2% FLUID LOSS CAN LEAD TO DEHYDRATION AND HEAT RELATED ILLNESS ATHLETES SHOULD REHYDRATE WITH COLD FLUIDS LEAVES STOMACH QUICKER ABSORBED QUICKER DOES NOT CAUSE CRAMPING WITH A BODY WEIGHT LOSS OF MORE THAN 3% THROUGH FLUID LOSS AN ATHLETE SHOULD BE MONITORED FOR HEAT RELATED ILLNESS MORE THAN 7% THAT ATHLETE SHOULD BE SENT TO A DOCTOR FOR EVERY POUND OF FLUID LOSS AN ATHLETE NEEDS TO REPLACE WITH 20 ONCES OF COLD FLUIDS

ELECTROLYTES SODIUM, POTASSIUM, AND CHLORIDE ARE THE THREE MAIN ELECTROLYTES LOST DURING ACTIVITY FUNCTION OF ELECTROLYTES: SODIUM AND POTASSIUM MAINTAIN FLUID BALANCE TRIGGER MUSCLE CONTRACTIONS TRIGGER NERVE IMPULSES WHEN ELECTROLYTES SHIFT PLACES ACROSS THE CELL MEMBRANE CHLORIDE MAINTAINS BLOOD VOLUME MAINTAINS PH OF BODY FLUIDS

REPLACING ELECTROLYTES ATHLETES CAN REPLACE ELECTROLYTES THROUGH EATING FOOD OR DRINKING FLUIDS SODIUM SALT AND SPORTS DRINKS IN MOST FOOD; USUALLY DON’T HAVE TO SUPPLIMENT POTASSIUM POTATOES, ORANGES, BANANAS, AND SPORTS DRINKS CHRLORIDE SALT, LETTUCE, CELERY, TOMATOES, AND OLIVES

THE IMPORTANCE OF WATER

HEAT AND HUMIDITY BOTH NEED TO BE MONITORED DURING PHYSICAL ACTIVITY BECAUSE BOTH AFFECT THE BODY’S ABILITY TO COOL ITSELF WHEN HUMIDITY IS HIGH, SWEAT BECOMES AN INSULATING FACTOR BECAUSE IT CANNOT EVAPORATE; MAKING THE BODY HOTTER

HEAT CRAMPS (MUSCLE CRAMPS) THE CRAMPING OF SKELETAL MUSCLES MOST COMMON IN THE GASTROCNEMIUS AND ABDOMINALS CAUSED BY DEHYDRATION  DEHYDRATION CAUSES A DECREASE IN BLOOD FLOW  DECREASE IN BLOOD FLOW CAUSES A DECREASE IN OXYGEN TO THE TISSUE  DECREASE IN OXYGEN TO THE TISSUE CAUSES MUSCLE CRAMPING

HOW WOULD YOU TREAT AN ATHLETE SUFFERING FROM HEAT (MUSCLE) CRAMPS HOW WOULD YOU TREAT AN ATHLETE SUFFERING FROM HEAT (MUSCLE) CRAMPS? WHAT STEPS WOULD YOU TAKE TO PREVENT AN ATHLETE FROM SUFFERING FROM HEAT CRAMPS?

HEAT EXHAUSTION CAUSED FROM EXTREME DEHYDRATION AND/OR LOSS OF ELECTROLYTES SIGNS OF HEAT EXHAUSTION: CLAMMY SKIN PROFUSE SWEATING HEADACHE HYPERVENTALATION DIALATED PUPILS BODY TEMPERATURE MAY RISE TO 102 DEGREES

HOW WOULD YOU TREAT AND ATHLETE SUFFERING FROM HEAT EXHAUSTION HOW WOULD YOU TREAT AND ATHLETE SUFFERING FROM HEAT EXHAUSTION? HOW LONG WOULD YOU TREAT THE ATHLETE BEFORE CALLING EMS?

HEAT STROKE ELEVATED BODY TEMPERATURE (USUALLY ABOVE 104 DEGREES) BODY’S INTERNAL ORGANS BEGIN TO SHUT DOWN BECAUE OF EXCESSIVE HEAT A MEDICAL EMERGENCY THAT CAN LEAD TO PERMANENT BRAIN DAMAGE OR DEATH SIGNS OF HEAT STROKE HOT DRY SKIN PUPILS CONSTRICT INTERNAL BODY TEMPERATURE AT 104 DEGREES OR HIGHER AT 106 DEGREES BODY CELLS START TO DIE; AT 108 DEGREES DEATH WILL OCCUR DECREASE IN PERSPIRATION OR PERSPIRATION STOPS

WHAT IS THE FIRST STEP IN TREATING AN ATHLETE SUFFERING FROM HEAT STROKE? WHAT IS THE SECOND STEP? HOW CAN YOU DETERMINE IF AN ATHLETE IS SUFFERING FROM HEAT EXHAUSTION OR HEAT STROKE?

HYPOTHERMIA OCCURS WHEN THE CORE BODY TEMPERATURE DROPS BELOW 95 DEGREES THE HYPOTHALAMUS SENSES THE DROP IN BODY TEMPERATURE AND CAUSE MUSCLES TO CONTRACT CAUSING “SHIVERING” SIGNS OF HYPOTHERMIA SLURRED SPEECH LOSS OF MOTOR CONTROL LOSS OF MEMORY MUSCLES WILL TURN RIGID SKIN BLUE RESPIRATION AND PULSE WILL DECREASE UNCONSCIOUSNESS AND DEATH

HOW WOULD YOU TREAT AN ATHLETE SUFFERING FROM HYPOTHERMIA HOW WOULD YOU TREAT AN ATHLETE SUFFERING FROM HYPOTHERMIA? WHEN WOULD YOU CALL EMS?

FROSTBITE THE FREEZING OF SKIN AND OTHER TISSUES THAT RESULTS IN REDUCED BLOOD FLOW AND POTENTIALL PERMANENT DAMAGE TO AFFECTED TISSUE SIGNS OF FROSTBITE TINGLING OR NUMBNESS IN AFFECTED TISSUE SKIN TURNS WHITE OR GRAYISH SKIN IS HARD AND CRUSTY SEVERE CASES SKIN WILL TURN BLACK (DEAD TISSUE) MUST AMPUTATE MOST COMMONLY ON THE NOSE, EARS, FINGERS, AND TOES

HOW WOULD YOU TREAT AN ATHLETE SUFFERING FROM FROSTBITE HOW WOULD YOU TREAT AN ATHLETE SUFFERING FROM FROSTBITE? WHAT DO YOU NEVER WANT TO DO WHEN TRYING TO HEAT FROSTBITEN TISSUE?

FLASH TO BANG—TRACKING LIGHTNING COUNT THE SECONDS BETWEEN A FLASH OF LIGHTNING AND THE BANG OF THE THUNDER  DIVIDE THIS NUMBER BY FIVE TO LEARN HOW MANY MILES AWAY LIGHTNING IS OCCURING EXAMPLE: FLASH TO BANG TIME 30 SECONDS DIVIDE THE FLASH TO BANG TIME BY 5 SO DIVIDE 30 SECONDS BY 5 = 6 LIGHTNING IS OCCURING 6 MILES AWAY

THE 30/30 RULE—TRACKING LIGHTNING 1ST 30: IF THE FLASH TO BANG CALCULATION IS 30 SECONDS OR LESS (6 MILES) SEEK SHELTER IN A SAFE AREA 2ND 30: DO NOT RESUME OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES UNTIL 30 MINUTES AFTER THE LAST AUDIBLE THUNDER