Group items tagged

Stretching, the primary treatment for acute EAMC

National Athletic Trainers’ Association recommends that athletes prone to muscle cramping add 0.3 to 0.7 g/L of salt to their drinks to stave off muscle cramps

Others have recommended adding higher amounts of sodium (about 3.0 to 6.0 g/L) to sports drinks based on the frequency of EAMC

intravenous infusion of fluids removes this delay, and it has been used to aid athletes who develop acute EAMC

maintaining hydration and adequate electrolyte levels is a good prevention strategy for individuals susceptible to EAMC

Fluid volumes of 1.8 L per hour have been well tolerated by tennis athletes who are susceptible to EAMC

Monitoring an athlete’s body weight is an easy method of ensuring adequate fluid replacement and individualizes each athlete’s fluid needs

the National Athletic Trainers’ Association and the American College of Sports Medicine recommend a volume of fluid that allows for less than a 2% body weight reduction

Endurance training may also serve as an effective means of preventing EAMC by expanding plasma volume and the extracellular fluid compartment15 and delaying neuromuscular fatigue

The rate of water loss can be quantified through measurement of sweat rate

Pre- and postexercise body weight measurements are the most common means to estimate overall water loss but are condition specific

It appears that 1% to 2% body weight loss is well tolerated by the exercising athlete

Dehydration, defined as greater than 2% loss of body weight, can negatively affect performance

In highly trained endurance athletes, plasma volume and sodium serum concentration were preserved despite a 5% body weight loss

In Ironman triathletes, dehydration to 5% body weight loss did not correlate with occurrence of medical complications

hydration should begin hours prior to exercise, especially if known deficits are present, and fluids should be consumed at a slow, steady rate, with 5 to 7 mL/kg taken 4 hours prior to exercise

Sodium concentration did not produce significant changes in the rate of absorption but was primarily dependent on carbohydrate concentration

Replacing 150% of body weight loss over 60 minutes has been tolerated without complications

IV treatment of severe dehydration (>7% body weight loss), exertional heat illness, nausea, emesis, or diarrhea, and in those who cannot ingest oral fluids for other reasons, is clinically indicated

A recent survey of the National Football League teams revealed that 75% (24 of 32) of the teams utilized IV infusion of fluids for prehydration in at least some otherwise healthy individuals

In the National Football League, an average of 1.5 L of normal saline was administered approximately 2.5 hours prior to competition

after 2 hours of exercise, the rectal temperature was 0.6° higher in the group not receiving IV infusion. Also, stroke volume and cardiac output were 11% to 16% lower in the control group versus the IV infusion group.

Recent evidence suggests the etiology of EAMC is related to muscle fatigue and neuronal excitability

no correlation between hydration status or electrolyte concentrations with EAMC

there may be a subset of muscle cramping that is associated with a loss of both body fluid and sodium

Glycerol is the primary agent for oral hyperhydration

elevation of plasma volume by 200 to 300 mL via dextran infusion resulted in 15% increase in stroke volume, 4% increase in VO2 max, and an increase in the exercise time to fatigue

Neither the tonicity nor mode of hydration resulted in improved speed of rehydration, greater fluid retention, or improved performance

There are beneficial anecdotal reports of EAMC treatment in elite and professional-level athletes with IV hydration during the course of an event

Plasma volume was better restored during rehydration with IV fluids at preexercise and 5 minutes of exercise. At 15 minutes, there was no difference between IV and oral rehydration

More rapid restoration of plasma volume was accomplished in the IV treatment group with no advantages over oral rehydration in physiological strain, heat tolerance, ratings of perceived effort, or thermal sensations

No difference was found in exercise time to exhaustion. IV and oral rehydration methods were equally effective. Heart rates were statistically higher in the oral rehydration group through 75 minutes of exercise, and there were higher increases in norepinephrine plasma concentrations

No significant differences between the groups were found for time to recovery, number of days with pain, number of days with stiffness, sleep disturbance, fatigue, rectal temperature, and loss of appetite

The current data suggest that IV rehydration is faster than oral

There may be physiological benefits of decreased heart rate and norepinephrine in athletes rehydrated via IV route

Postexercise blood 1 hour and 24 hours showed no differences in circulating myoglobin or creatine kinase

The use of IV fluid may be beneficial for a subset of fluid sensitive athletes

this should be reserved for high-level athletes with strong histories of symptoms in well-monitored settings.

Volume expanders may also be beneficial for some athletes