2024-06-29 00:25:07
Concern took over the scene at Sporting Park Stadium in Kansas. During the match between Peru and Canada for the second date of Group A of the Copa América, the television cameras instantly moved away from the football development and focused on the American goalkeeper. Maxime Crepeau while assisting the linesman Humberto Momswhich vanished due to the “hellish” heat that the United States experiences at this time of year.
With this warning, several questions have arisen regarding the national team competition. Why are they being played at this time? Are the players prepared to face this heat? Is there a solution and what are the steps to follow in the event of heat stroke?
In that sense, the doctors Roque Gonzalez (president of the Tucumán Society of Sports Medicine and secretary of the Cardiology Association) and Manuel Parajon Viscido (director of the Tucumán Sports Medicine Center) explained the reasons for these events and how they could be prevented.
“There are times when you will have a larger audience, but it is not convenient for you to play because they are extreme conditions. In these cases, one no longer talks about sport as a health agent, but as a problem of organization and interests,” said Dr. González before going into details about what it means to have heat stroke.
“Our bodies have defense mechanisms that are limited. When there is a lot of temperature or humidity in the environment, humans try to eliminate regulatory mechanisms, for example, perspiration. But, when the environment is very hot, it makes this process more difficult and favors dehydration,” said the president of the Tucumán Society of Sports Medicine.
Meanwhile, Viscido also agreed with his colleague’s explanations. “28 or 30 degrees produce general stress in the body’s physiology, that is, in its functioning. This is so great that it cannot compensate for the internal temperature and thus a gradual rise occurs. An athlete, in an intense effort of activity, can have a body temperature of 39 degrees, but with good weather, this decreases and he loses that heat through evaporation,” said the director of the Tucumán Sports Medicine Center. “The most important thing of all is sweat. For this reason, it is always recommended to wear light clothing that allows evaporation. We can also lose heat through contact with the air or by lying on a cold surface,” Viscido said.
For their part, both doctors also explained what steps to follow in the event of heat stroke. “First of all, the ideal is to prevent it. You should always try to avoid the situation. If you are going to wear light-colored clothing, you have to make sure that it allows perspiration to escape. There are some fabrics called Dri-Fit, which allow perspiration to go to the outside of the fabric and that favors heat loss,” explained González. “Another fundamental point is to maintain good hydration. Some of that can be seen today in the games, when it is very hot and they take a break so that the players can hydrate,” he added.
“Heat produces three easily distinguishable pathologies: cramps, fatigue and lack of sodium. That is why sports drinks include this last mechanism because it is necessary to understand that electrolytes must be replaced,” said Viscido.
Faced with a situation similar to what Panjoj experienced, the doctors explained the steps to follow. “You have to see that the person is not unconscious or that he does not need CPR. Then we must cool it, with cloths on the feet, under the armpits and neck. Obviously also hydrate it,” González said. “Many times you have to give serum, because excess temperature can lead to multiple organ failure or seizures. Water and a fan can also be essential to evaporate all that heat,” concluded Viscido.