Prevention of heat-related injuries such as heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke:

• Drink plenty of water before practice and games. Even drinking water the day and evening before is important during hot weather.
• Drink water during practice. Especially in hot weather, attempt to take short water breaks every 15 to 20 minutes.
• If exercising longer than 1 hour, consider using an electrolyte replacement drink such as Gatorade or PowerAde.
• Avoid beverages that have a lot of caffeine as they can cause dehydration.

• Stay calm and give the athlete a moment to catch their breath. If you stay calm, the athlete will become calm. Determine what the injury is and select an appropriate course of action.

• Sprains
• Ankle:
• Look for deformities or bleeding
• Deformities – assume fracture and consider calling 9-1-1
• Bleeding – control the bleeding with direct pressure and determine how severe the injury is
• Ask the athlete to attempt to move their foot up and down.
• If they can move their foot, ask if they think they can put pressure on their foot.
• Have the athlete walk off the field or assist them off the field if they cannot bear weight.
• Treatment – rest, ice, compression, and elevation (R.I.C.E)
• Recommend that the parents contact their MD if they have increasing pain or are unable to walk
• To return to play, the athlete should be able to:
• Perform ~20 heel raises & 20 hops on the injured ankle
• Run and cut
• Athletic taping or a brace may be recommended
• Knee:
• Look for deformities or swelling
• Deformities – assume fracture and/or multiple ligament damage and consider calling 9-1-1
• Swelling
• Immediate swelling generally indicates a ligament injury
• Swelling that appears over the next 24 hours may indicate a cartilage injury
• Ask the athlete if they can bend and straighten their knee
• If they can move their knee, ask if they think they can put pressure on their leg
• Have the athlete walk off the field or assist them off the field if they can not bear weight.
• Treatment – rest, ice, compression, and elevation (R.I.C.E)
• Recommend that the parents contact their MD if they have increasing pain, swelling, or are unable to walk
• To return to play, the athlete should be able to:
• Run and sprint in a straight line
• Run a figure 8
• Run and cut
• An athletic brace may be recommended following a ligament injury


• Strains – groin and hamstring
• Treatment – rest, ice, compression, and elevation (R.I.C.E)
• Recommend that the parents contact their MD if they have increasing pain, swelling, or are unable to walk
• To return to play, the athlete should be able to:
• Run and sprint in a straight line
• Run a figure 8
• Run and cut
• Additionally for groin strains, they should be able to pass the ball and take shots on goal without pain


• Fractures – immobilize with a splint and recommend the parents take them to an urgent care or emergency room, or dial 9-1-1 if needed
• Testicular blows
• Treatment
• Allow the athlete curl up and give them a moment to catch their breath
• Ice if needed
• Caution – If the pain does not diminish, there is excessive swelling, or blood in urine recommend that the parents take them to the emergency room


• Bleeding
• Nose – have the athlete squeeze their nostrils together with some gauze and lean their head forward until the bleeding stops
• Other sites – apply direct pressure with gauze or clean cloth until the bleeding stops
• To return to play:
• Bleeding must be stopped.
• Apply a band aid and cover with athletic tape to keep in place.
• Instruct the athlete to wash and clean the wound thoroughly when the practice/game is over.
• The uniform and clothes should not have any blood on them. Hydrogen peroxide may be used to rinse blood off of uniforms and clothes without damaging the material or color.


• Chest trauma
• Keep athlete calm and have them slow their breathing down
• Advise the athlete to talk small, slow breaths initially
• If pain with breathing does not diminish within 5 – 10 mins, advise the parents to call their MD or take the athlete to an urgent care or emergency room


• Head injuries
• Loss of consciousness:
• Immediately dial 9-1-1
• Stabilize the athlete’s head and neck with your hands
• Check to see if the athlete is breathing:
• Yes – stabilize head and neck until paramedics arrive
• No – begin CPR
• If the athlete regains consciousness:
• Keep athlete still and continue stabilizing head and neck until the paramedics arrive
• Do not give the athlete anything to eat or drink unless instructed to by a medical professional
• No loss of consciousness – is the athlete:
• Oriented? Speaking clearly?
• Check for neck pain, pain in arms/legs, numbness or tingling in arms or legs, and ability to move hands/feet
• If all of these are absent it may be ok to have the athlete sit up
• Check for the presence of dizziness, headaches, blurry vision, nausea, vomiting, and loss of balance
• If any of these symptoms are present, the athlete should not continue playing that day.
• If the symptoms are worsening ? consider calling 9-1-1
• Notify parents of head trauma and to watch for the symptoms above. If the athlete begins having any of these symptoms or they are worsening advise the parents to take the athlete to the emergency room.


• Final Point
• Stay calm, keep the athlete calm
• Following most injuries, it is advantageous to recommend rest, ice compression, and elevation (R.I.C.E.)
• If ever in doubt, it is better to err on the side of caution.