TAMAQUA - Concussions.
Heat illness.
Sudden cardiac arrest.
As awareness has increased about the dangers associated with potentially life-altering injuries and illnesses, so too has preparation and protection for athletes throughout the country.
Last spring, the PIAA adopted a heat acclimatization policy to help prepare high school football players for the rigors and high temperatures of two-a-day practices that begin Monday.
The Tamaqua Area School District's athletic department, led by Athletic Director Mike Hromyak, in cooperation with the district's athletic trainer, Coordinated Health, provided a free clinic on concussions, sudden cardiac arrest and heat acclimatization Thursday evening in the school's auditorium.
Nineteen people attended the seminar, which was broken into segments to talk about each of these issues as it relates to young athletes. Included were opportunities for audience members to raise any questions.
Athletic trainers Loren Ronyack, Aaron Boggs and Patrick Yoder of Coordinated Health presented information about concussions, sudden cardiac arrest and heat acclimatization using a Power Point.
"This is a very serious problem because there are lasting effects of a concussion," Ronyack stressed to the audience.
Ronyack stressed the signs of a concussion, busted myths about concussions and spoke of the importance of taking such brain injuries seriously.
"Concussions can cause disability affecting all areas of life, such as school, work and social life," Ronyack read from the Power Point.
She discussed the dangers of Second Impact Syndrome - when a person with a concussion sustains a second concussion before the brain has healed, leading to death about 50 percent of the time - as well as the importance of educating athletes, coaches, trainers, parents and school personnel about concussions.
Most importantly, one of the final slides of the Power Point displayed: "WHEN IN DOUBT, SIT THEM OUT."
While concussions and recovery remain in the spotlight at every level of football, the PIAA adopted a policy to help athletes prepare for the dog days of August. The most important part of the policy is the "acclimatization period."
This rule mandates that the first two days of football practice be completed with athletes wearing only helmets and shoulder pads with shorts. On the third day, athletes may wear full gear with full contact permitted.
Other key points of the rule include:
- These three practices are limited to five hours total and no single session may be longer than three hours with at least two hours of rest between sessions.
- Schools were permitted to begin the acclimatization period Aug. 7. Those three practices must be held consecutively and no more than 48 hours prior to the start of practice.
Yoder stressed that dehydration is "actually a really preventable thing."
The PIAA's heat acclimatization, while better than the previous lack of preparation period, still isn't perfect.
It typically takes 10-14 days for the body to acclimatize to the head, according to Yoder's Power Point.
"The body learns to start sweating sooner," Yoder said. "Get heat stress on your athletes so their bodies get used to it."
Various environmental and individual factors should also be considered with acclimatization.
Yoder stressed the importance of fluid replacement - drinking in the evening after practice, when you wake up in the morning and between practice sessions.
Sudden cardiac arrest may be the least well known of issues facing young athletes, but Boggs noted that it's the biggest cause of death of young athletes.
The Sudden Cardiac Arrest Prevention Act, enacted in May 2012, was designed to provide learning opportunities for coaches as well as mandating the removal of the athlete from play when symptoms occur.
Approximately 55-80 percent of athletes who fall victim to sudden cardiac arrest show no prior symptoms.
Boggs stressed the importance of early detection through prior medical history and physical exams as well as preparedness by onsite staff in case of such an emergency.