Thanks and appreciation to Jeff Fisher from High School Football America for the focus on football safety during his July 30, 2015 radio broadcast. A must listen for any high school football player, parent, coach, or fan who wants to learn more about:
- Contact practice limitations
- Concussion signs, symptoms, and return to school and football
- Helmets and limits to their protective abilities
- Heat Illness prevention tips
- Appropriate fluids before, during and after football activities
- Injury reduction techniques
To listen to the podcast, click here (my portion starts at 58:45)
Are there any other high school football sports medicine topics you would like to see covered during a future podcast? Email me (chris@dockoutures.com) or contact Jeff at jeff@highschoolfootballamerica.com
I have accessed CoachSmart while on the sidelines, and no longer have to guess or try to remember suggested adjustments for practice and games in hot or humid weather. The information is concisely presented in the palm of my hand.
The iPhone app CoachSmart was developed by colleagues at Vanderbilt Sports Medicine and the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt and is billed as the ultimate resource for coaches, offering real-time information on heat index and lightning strikes, frequently asked sports medicine and safety questions, and a group contact feature.
The The app is free to download in iTunes with an annual in-app subscription to live lightning data for $1.99.
- If lightning strikes nearby, the app sends an alert to the phone and the resource section provides information on what to do.
- The Home Screen gives current temperature, humidity, heat index and lightning strike information.
- The Map Screen is based on the user’s GPS location. One map shows lightning strikes within 25 miles, while another uses information from nearby weather stations to post current conditions, including heat index and wind chill.
- The Contacts function allows the user to compile team members’ contact info and send a message to the entire team with the touch of a button.
- The Resources section includes information that athletic trainers commonly dispense, such as hydration tips, injury prevention, concussion guidelines, and when to go to the emergency room. The resources will be updated as more information is needed or guidelines change.
- The app includes the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA) heat index guidelines.
Developed by Sports Medicine Physicians and Athletic Trainers with close guidance from coaches, the CoachSmart app brings many important topics into one easy location.
Recommending CoachSmart is now part of my pre-season safety talks to coaches, parents, and administrators, and will also be part of an upcoming lecture on Heat Illness.
The CoachSmart App was recently upgraded and returned to active status. I do not have any financial relationship with the CoachSmart App.
Hot summer months combined with intense summer training camps present the greatest risk of exertional heat illness, especially in the first week of practices.
So athletes shouldn't be the only ones making preparations, according to the National Athletic Trainers Association which released an Executive Summary of the updated 2014 Position Statement providing revised recommendations and key insights on the management of Exertional Heat Illness:
- Death from exertional heat stroke is 100 percent preventable when proper recognition and treatment protocols are implemented.
- A pre-season heat acclimatization policy should be implemented to allow athletes to be acclimatized to the heat gradually over a period of 7 to 14 days. This is optimal for full heat acclimatization.
- Plan rest breaks and modify the work-to-rest ratio to match environmental conditions and the intensity of the activity.
- When environmental conditions warrant, ensure that a cold water immersion tub and ice towels are available to quickly manage an athlete with a suspected heat illness.
- An athlete suffering from exertional heat stroke should always be cooled first (via cold water immersion) before being transported by EMS to an emergency facility.
- An athlete recovering from exertional heat stroke should be closely monitored by a physician or athletic trainer and return to gradual activity.
- The current document now states that a patient suspected of having exertional heat stroke must be cooled via cold water immersion for the full treatment time prior to being transported to a hospital. Additionally, the document states that this must be stated in the school’s Emergency Action Plan.
Any individual or organization holding training or competition sessions in hot conditions should review these recommendations and have appropriate on-field access to equipment and trained personnel as part of a well-constructed Emergency Action Plan.
As a parent or athlete, do you know if your team or organization has preparations in place for prevention of Heat Illness?
