The National Athletic Trainer's Association (NATA) released its updated guidelines on Friday, asking heat stroke victims to cool down before rushing to the hospital.
Heat stroke is a medical emergency that commonly affects those 50 years old and above, along with most young athletes. It could lead to complications such as brain and internal organ damages. Heat stroke occurs when one is exposed to high temperatures for a long time, causing body temperature to rise to up to 105 degrees Fahrenheit or 40 degrees Celsius. Symptoms include nausea, cramps, dizziness, rapid heartbeat and breathing, as well as loss of consciousness.
First aid for heat stroke consists of moving the person to a cool environment and removing unnecessary clothing until body temperature reduces to below 101 degrees Fahrenheit or 38 degrees Celsius. But this cooling procedure is usually skipped.
"We're trying to get people to realize that's how you save people's lives from heat stroke," said Douglas Casa, director of athletic training education at the University of Connecticut during an interview with Healthday News.
Casa recommended high school teams always prepare ice packs that could be used for emergency. It could be applied to a person's armpits, neck, groin, and back to help the body cool down in 30 minutes.
Another recommendation was for athletes to wear minimal clothing, or special gloves and shirts designed to reduce temperature, during trainings and drink a lot of water in between breaks. Researchers from the University of Connecticut tested 13 football athletes by measuring their body temperatures after treadmill activity. Those who wore the special gloves and shirts had cooler body temperature than those who wore the regular gear.
"We saw a whole degree Fahrenheit of difference between the hand-cooling with fluid group and the control group," said lead researcher Michael Sundeen, lead author of the study and an assistant athletic trainer for the Denver Broncos, to Healthday News.
The new guidelines and study results will be presented at the upcoming 65th NATA meeting in Indiana.
