NEWSROOM
Rams Team Physician Says Hydration is Key at Summer Football Practice
Media Contact:Jason Merrill
314-286-0302
jmerrill@bjc.org
July 24, 2008, ST. LOUIS – As St. Louis Rams training camp begins in Mequon, WI, high schoolers around the country are gearing up for two-a-days in what can be sweltering summer heat, and staying hydrated is often a difficult challenge.
Keeping an eye on the Rams’ health at the ConcordiaUniversity training camp is St. Louis Rams team physician Matt Matava, MD. He says players and coaches at any level need to watch for signs of dehydration, especially in the Midwest.
"Certainly, maintaining your fluid is of maximum importance," says Dr. Matava. "I remember when I played high school football you were lucky if you got one drink a day, and now it's encouraged that you drink throughout the entire practice if necessary."
In his role both as Rams doctor and as a sports medicine physician at Washington University School of Medicine and Barnes-JewishHospital in St. Louis, Dr. Matava has a tip he gives to athletes on both the professional and the high school level: step on the scale before and after practice to see how much water weight has been lost.
"Lots of times, players they think they're losing a lot of weight because its fat, but what they're actually losing is a lot of water," says Dr. Matava. "So the recommendation is if you can gauge how many pounds you've lost in water weight, go ahead and try and drink that back. And the rule of thumb is if you lose one pound of body weight that translates into about a pint of water or liquid you need to replenish you system with."
Aside from heat-related illness, the most common injuries Dr. Matava sees in football are injuries to the ankle. He suggests treating the injury with RICE, but not the kind from Uncle Ben. RICE is a treatment of Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation.
"We see a lot of ankle sprains and the best recommendation is to get off the ankle, compress it with an Ace wrap or aircast support, and elevate the ankle above the level of the heart," says Dr. Matava. "That way all the swelling can dissipate and with appropriate treatment like that, the player is able to get back on the field in a number of days to several of weeks."
Dr. Matava says the best over-the-counter treatment for those injuries is ibuprofen as it does the best job at relieving pain.
Washington University Physicians at Barnes-Jewish Hospital serve as team physicians for the St. Louis Rams and St. Louis Blues. For more information about sports-related injuries call 866-TOP-DOCS or 866-867-3627.
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