The NCAA News - News and Features

The NCAA News -- August 16, 1999

Report indicates health concern for summer practices

Football study points to heat as a main cause of serious injury

The latest report from the National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injuries calls attention to the need to pay particular attention to the health needs of student-athletes during late-summer football workouts.

The annual study, conducted by the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, showed that four high-school football players died from heatstroke during the 1998 season.

"In the past four years, we have seen 11 football-related heatstroke deaths," said Frederick Mueller, professor and chair of physical education, exercise and sport science at North Carolina. "Shorter practices in hot weather and noncontact drills during which players don't wear helmets can help prevent heatstroke and reduce accidents. Players should be allowed as much water as they want, and coaches should schedule regular cooling-off breaks."

Mueller also emphasized that practices never should be conducted during the hottest part of the day.

Heatstroke deaths in football have been on the increase for the last half of this decade. No such deaths were reported in 1993 or 1994 during practices or games. The all-time high was in 1970 when eight heat-related fatalities were recorded in college and high-school football.

The study showed that in 1998 a total of seven players across the United States died as a direct result of brain injuries suffered on the field. Seven other players -- including the heatstroke victims -- died of indirect causes.

Also in 1998, four players suffered cervical cord injuries that resulted in permanent disability. Four others were permanently disabled by brain injuries.

Mueller said the heat injuries are almost completely preventable through greater awareness on the part of the athletes and those conducting practices.

"With many schools starting earlier this year and the very hot weather we have been having across the country, heatstroke could be an even bigger problem than in the past," Mueller said. "Players should start off easy for at least seven to 10 days to get them acclimated to the heat."

Mueller said athletes should salt their food but should not use salt tablets, which may do more harm than good. They also should weigh in before and after practice. If they lose more than three percent of their weight from one day to the other, they should not be allowed to practice because the weight loss means they are becoming dehydrated.