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Orthopedic surgeons offer swimming, diving safety tips
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Extreme swimmers and divers face challenges different than pool swimmers. At the International Extreme Sports Medicine Congress, orthopedic surgeons discussed tips to avoid injuries in swimming and diving.
“Swimming is something we all do, it looks like a lot of fun,” Thomas R. Hackett, MD, said during his presentation. “What’s the difference between ... swimming and extreme swimming? It’s suffering. It’s all about suffering.”
Preparing for intrinsic, extrinsic challenges
Extreme swimming — which includes open water swimming, marathon swimming, river descents and ice swimming — usually takes place in lakes, rivers, bays, oceans and cross channels and may involve crossing wild open bodies of water nonstop with minimal assistance, according to Hackett. He said extreme swimming has intrinsic challenges such as endurance, physical and mental challenges, as well as extrinsic challenges like temperature, wildlife, ships, tides and currents, which are not dealt with in normal races.
“Nutrition is a big issue,” Hackett said. “It is specific to their environment, but if you are in salt water, it is different than fresh water. If you are doing [an] open water, long, salt water race, you cannot take in one electrolyte.”
Hackett noted extreme swimmers should train and be prepared for any temperature. If a swimmer already has hypothermia and water temperature drops a few degrees, the swimmer could be in trouble.
Be aware of limitations
In a second presentation on free diving, Peter Buzzacott, PhD, noted different combinations of dives include with fins or without fins, with variable weight or with constant weight. He said limitations for these different diving combinations include how much gas the body can store in the lungs, blood and tissues; tolerance to asphyxia; and metabolic rate.
“Ultimately, the key to success to obtaining a record [in free diving] is consciousness,” Buzzacott said. He said free divers can also train to increase total lung capacity through lung packing; however, divers must “submerge promptly after doing [so] because the intrathoracic pressure is so great, it can affect the venous return.”
“Cold water makes greater diving reflex reaction and can be enhanced by training,” Buzzacott said. “The more you train at this, the greater your reaction to being immersed.”
Tips to avoid injury for general swimming and diving
According to a press release from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, the Consumer Product Safety Commission in 2016 found emergency departments, doctors' offices and clinics treated 581,918 people for swimming-related injuries; 35,990 people for diving-related injuries; and 32,303 people for diving board-related injuries.
The AAOS recommends these tips to avoid injuries in swimming and diving:
Know how to swim. Swim where lifeguards are present. Inexperienced swimmers should wear lifejackets.
Do not swim when too tired, too cold or overheated.
Be ready to find medical personnel to treat injuries such as concussions, dislocations, bruises, wrist or finger sprains and fractures.
If diving from a high point, make sure the bottom of the body of water is double the distance from where you are diving.
Do not dive headfirst into above-ground pools and water that is not clear, such as a lake or ocean.
Only one person at a time should stand on a diving board. Swim away from the board immediately after a dive so there is room for the next diver.
Do not drink alcohol before or during swimming, diving or boating.
“Always check the depth of the water before diving in,” Eeric Truumees, MD, AAOS spokesperson and orthopedic spine surgeon, said in the release. “If you’re unsure of the depth of the water, go in feet first. Diving in a shallow pool can lead to life threatening injuries or even death.” - by Monica Jaramillo
Reference s :
Buzzacott P. Free diving – The physiology and fatalities behind the quietest extreme sport. Presented at: International Extreme Sports Medicine Congress; June 1-2, 2018; Boulder, Colorado.
Hackett TR. Extreme swimming injuries – I can swim longer than you can run. Presented at: International Extreme Sports Medicine Congress; June 1-2, 2018; Boulder, Colorado.
http://newsroom.aaos.org/patient-resources/prevent-injuries-america/diving-safety-tips-swimming-safety-tips-summer-safety.htm
www.orthoinfo.org/en/staying-healthy/diving-safety/
Disclosure s : Buzzacott and Hackett report no relevant financial disclosures.