This article on sick athletes ran in the Winter, 2018 edition of Ladera Ranch Magazine.
Is it OK for sick athletes to exercise? What symptoms should keep someone off the playing field?
When trying to decide if sick athletes are too ill to play, I tend to ask the following questions:
- Is the athlete currently too ill to exercise?
- Will exercise make the athlete at-risk for more serious or longer-lasting illness?
- Is the athlete contagious to other members of the team or sport group?
Sick athletes with a fever over 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit may have increased energy demands. This often makes exercise more difficult. Thus, many authorities recommend starting with lighter levels of exercise with a fever. Use overall performance to advance to higher intensity of exercise. Some athletes may perform quite adequately with a fever. Others will need complete rest from exercise until the fever is gone for at least 24 hours.
SICK ATHLETES: USE THE NECK RULE
I have found that the neck rule can also assist athletes and parents in deciding on sport participation. This works with or without a fever:
- If symptoms are entirely above the neck (runny nose, sore throat, mild headache, etc) then there is less potential risk for more serious illness with exercise. Recommend light exercise at first, and if symptoms do not worsen, then gradually increasing the intensity of the exercise.
- If symptoms are below the neck (productive cough with mucous, chest pain/tightness, stomach ache, vomiting/diarrhea, rash, muscle/body aches) then there is a greater risk not only for worsening individual symptoms, but also for spread to teammates. Thus, recommend no activity until these symptoms are gone for 24 hours. If there is any concern contact your medical provider to receive further evaluation.
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