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Hypo and Hyperthermia during long eventsMichael Gillan-ultra marathon recovery specialist1
Hypothermia during endurance events
Hypothermia can happen to any athlete anywhere in endurance events-it does not just happen incold countries-it can happen in moderate climates as wellI live in Australia and it is not classed as a cold country when compared to most others-but for theunprepared, they might as well be in one
cold + moisture + air flow = temperature drop=heatbeing pulled from the body=Hypothermia
There are four grades of hypothermia, these are
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Impending Hypothermia
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Mild Hypothermia
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Moderate Hypothermia
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Severe Hypothermia
Impending hypothermia
Impending hypothermia difficult to forecast but the main conditions for this are usually a hot dayfollowed by a cool evening and frosty night.The athletes most prone to it are the ones who do not feel the cool air on the body as they still feelwarm from the daytime heat.
Mild Hypothermia
Uncontrolled Intense Shivering starts.Coldness is creating pain and discomfort, they are still capable of moving and will still denyanything is wrong as judgment is affected-at this stage they are still recoverable and go back ontrack if they are pulled off and treated locally.
Coping with Mild Hypothermia
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Cover up with blankets to keep the heat in.
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Do not massage the hands, arms or legs to help warm someone up as it can push coldblood into the body possibly making the core heat cooler then the athlete may be pushedinto moderate or worse, severe hypothermia.
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Give warm drinks but not coffee, alcohol or tea, soup is good as it give nourishment aswell as heat.Copyright 2008 Michael Gillan ultra marathon recovery specialist www.aching-legs-relief.com
 
Hypo and Hyperthermia during long eventsMichael Gillan-ultra marathon recovery specialist2
Moderate and Severe and Hypothermia
I have seen many people go into hypothermia after the event is finished.They had shown very few signs during the run and did not cover up immediately after the event.These people are in big trouble and need urgent medical help.
Never massage the limbs if the athlete is hypothermic, cold blood will beforced back into the body reducing core temperature furtherIF THERE IS ANY DOUBT WHETHER IT IS HYPOTHERMIA ORJUST FATIGUE OR SEE THE MEDICAL PEOPLE
There are some simple steps to reduce the prospects of developing it, so if so this will be coveredfirst.There is more chance of developing it at 24-hour events than at multi-day ultras because newerconverts to the sport always turn up inadequately prepared and prefer to go for looks rather thanpracticality. They are more likely to stick with vest and shorts rather than the full tops and longtights the older hands wear.
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As soon as it starts to get dark, get rid of the shorts and top, or at least cover them up.
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Wear a hat
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When the clothing gets wet with perspiration put on dry clothing even if it means 8 or10 changes and associated down time during the night.
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If it rains, put on a light waterproof top.
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Have warm drinks and food during the night.
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If the athlete is cold and they are considering going back out on the track immediatelydo not let them have a hot shower.
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The second they stop, the athlete should be covered up with a warm blanket to preservewhat core body heat they have.
Prevention
While most decisions concerning an event should be left to the athlete as they know their bodybetter than anyone but they cannot see themselves though as others see them-the crew whoeverthey might be should be given the authority to call off the runner/walker when they see some of the symptoms appearing.Immediately the late afternoon starts get the athlete to start covering up in spite of their protests.At this stage, a light tracksuit top and bottom will be fine by late evening a heavier top is needed.Early morning, gloves, possibly two light layers of clothing rather than one heavier tracksuit.This is because the underneath set will be next to the body absorbing heat and perspiration, andthe outer one will prevent it being radiated into the night air too rapidly.
Do not let them have a hot shower to warm up
While it may feel good, the hot water is helping heat loss by bringing more heated blood to theoutside of the body where it is lost as soon as the water cools on the skin.As soon as the steam hits them they feel faint, suddenly without warning, they go into moderateor even severe hypothermia having by passed the first two grades.
Change the top frequently for a dry one.
It may be cold when changing in the night, but cold by itself is not harmful.Cold+moisture+heat loss+air movement across the body is fulfilling most of the requirements forsetting up hypothermia.
 
Hypo and Hyperthermia during long eventsMichael Gillan-ultra marathon recovery specialist3
Keep up warm fluids and food.
Cold drinks and food taken during the night need heat to be converted to energy, and this willabsorb heat from the body.
Cover up on stopping.
Make the person cover up as soon as the handler starts to feel cold.When the crew starts to feel cool and reach for their jackets, they should also get one for theathlete.As soon as the athlete stops for any reason or for however long, move them out of the wind andthrow a blanket around them covering the upper body especially.Have a silver lined space insulation blanket available at all times, while being very light, theirinsulating properties rather than weight which is needed at this time.At the finish of the event cover them up as warmly as possible so their inner heat can be retained.I have found that when the muscles stop moving and producing heat, the heat that is left candissipate within a very short time and the body shuts down within a few minutes.It is important to know the grades as if the athlete is pulled off the track in the mild grades, timespent recovering them will enable them to get back on the track doing productive distance ratherthan being in hospital recovering in the emergency department.It is obviously better to catch someone at the impending grade before they go into the othergrades, although some people by pass even this stage and go straight into mild or even moderatelevels.Impending and mild hypothermia can be worked on trackside with an excellent chance of theathlete getting back on track again.Moderate and severe hypothermia require immediate first aid and possibly hospitalization.
Conventional massage and hypothermia
When conventional forms of massage are used, the main requirement is that people are undressedor disrobed to have oil applied while the massage is done, heat may be lost from the body at thistime by having the person undress or disrobe to have the massage, and they are then usually justcovered with a towel.This is fine on a hot or warm day but if the same thing is done during the early hours of themorning or before the warmth comes back into the day, the conditions are in place for inducinghypothermia.If someone is already cold, having them lying still for 15-20 minutes is not going to warm themup.If we are massaging the legs to promote recovery, more cold is going to be allowed to the body.Any benefits gained are going to be reduced, as the body has to make up the warmth lost.
Body heat is dissipated by a number of things during a conventional massage.
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The person may be relaxing so the need for the body to pump blood at an increased rate isreduced
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