August Heat Can Be Risky For Athletes

Each year, nearly 10,000 high school athletes in the U.S. suffer heat-related illnesses that require medical attention and cause them to miss practice or games, according to a report released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Fully two-thirds of those cases occur in August, according to the report, and roughly 80 percent of the stricken athletes are football players, who at this time of year are often slogging through grueling preseason workouts. With temperatures hovering in the 90s and beyond, dehydration and heat exhaustion while exercising are a very real -- and potentially dangerous -- threat. And competitive athletes aren't the only ones who can experience problems when the mercury and humidity peak. Even if they're in excellent shape, weekend warriors may find themselves suffering heat-related symptoms after a long run or even a day of lawn mowing and yard work. ‘People get out there and...do a really hard workout,’ says Scott Anderson, a certified athletic trainer in Clearwater, Florida. ‘The sensible thing is to go slow, and work up progressively. ...A lot of people even go indoors and cross-train if it's too hot.’”

http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/08/19/august.heat.athletes/?hpt=Sbin