Athletic Facilities

Athletics

The Facts

Athletic participation has increased in popularity in the past several decades. Unfortunately, athletic activity results in many types of dermatoses. Infectious conditions exemplify the most common cutaneous ailments of athletes. Fungal, bacterial and viral infections represent the majority of skin infections in athletes. For a variety of intrinsic and extrinsic factors, athletes experience an increased risk of these cutaneous infections. Once infected, athletes may endure loss of practice time and disqualification from competition. Rapid diagnosis, appropriate institution of therapy and attentive prevention programs all minimize the deleterious effects of skin infections for both the athlete and the team.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)

Athletes, from professionals to weekend warriors, have developed furunculosis in epidemic proportions. Many different types of sports participation may result in cutaneous S. aureus infection, including basketball, cross-country, fencing, football, hockey, rugby, soccer, volleyball, weightlifting and wrestling. Skin-to-skin contact probably plays a primary role in basketball, football, rugby, soccer and wrestling; while contact with fomites may play a relatively larger role in sports such as cross-country, fencing, volleyball and weightlifting. In practice, a combination of these factors causes epidemics of S. aureus.

Impact

The seminal paper of MRSA in athletes described a major epidemic in a U.S. professional American football team, the St. Louis Rams, in 2003. A total of 9% of the team experienced furunculosis and lost 17 days of practice and competition. After a rigorous review of the epidemic, the investigators identified one of the major contributing factors as the staff’s failure to periodically clean the weights in the training room.

Several collegiate football epidemics have occurred as well. Ten members of a 100-person college football team developed MRSA infections. The presence of turf burns correlated with increased prevalence of MRSA infections (relative risk: 7.2). The relative risk of developing MRSA infection was also related to player position. The cornerback and wide receiver positions possessed relative risk values of 17.5 and 11.7, respectively. Body shaving, which represents a common practice among athletes, increased the risk of developing MRSA infection (relative risk: 6.1). Interestingly, the use of the whirlpool two times or more per week increased the relative risk of developing MRSA infection to 12.2.

Treatment

MRSA is treatable. By definition, MRSA is resistant to some antibiotics. But other kinds of antibiotics still work. Some of these antibiotics are only available intravenously. Unfortunately, there is emerging antibiotic resistance being seen with some of these medications. Antibiotics, however, aren’t always necessary. If you have a skin boil caused by MRSA, your doctor may just make an incision and drain it. If you are prescribed antibiotics, follow your health care provider’s instructions precisely. Never stop taking your medicine, even if you’re feeling better. If you don’t take all of your medicine, some of the staph bacteria may survive. These survivors then have the potential to become resistant to the antibiotic. They also could re-infect you or infect someone else.

Prevention

While following a regimented treatment plan is essential once infected. the best treatment plan is prevention. Due to the proximity of athletes and the transmission of infection through environmental contaminants, ensuring the practice, preparation and play environments are clean is extremely important. See how Invisimed can help!

Baseball

Baseball gloves, hats, helmets, pads and shoes all harbor dangerous pathogens. Whether treating a professional or amateur facility, we believe it is important to pay attention to players’ equipment. In professional or collegiate facilities, the clubhouse is utilized for dressing, showering and eating, and also as a “hangout”. With how much time is spent in the locker room and weight room by players and staff, it is important to eliminate as many threats as possible to keep players healthy and on the field. There is a real cost of losing a professional athlete to a MRSA infection that can be counted in dollars and cents. The same applies to a star collegiate player who is the cornerstone of a championship-caliber team. It is our mission to keep your players and coaches healthy and competing.

Basketball

Treat locker rooms and ensure court burns and scrapes don’t get infected. We treat both wood courts and synthetic field house surfaces. More importantly, we focus on changing areas, bathrooms, showers and common areas where players are the most likely to come in contact with dangerous pathogens.

Football

Football more than almost any other sport puts players at risk for infection. Turf burn is a known point of origin for infection. That, coupled with dirty equipment, and the physical nature of the sport lead to a large number of infections annually at the professional and amateur levels. Our treatments clean both the facility and equipment allowing players to stay healthy and on the field.

Hockey

Hockey is a physical sport with dirty and sweaty equipment. Hockey may well have the “smelliest” locker room of any sport both at the professional and amateur level. Helmets, gloves, elbow pads, shin pads, skates, etc. all fill with sweat and build a residual odor. More importantly, they are regularly filling up with bacteria. Invisimed can effectively eliminate the bacteria associated with player’s equipment and in the process help to eliminate the smell that comes along with it. Additionally, Invisimed effectively decontaminates training facilities, hydrotherapy rooms, showers and steam saunas, and dining facilities to ensure every player stays in the game.

Wrestling

Wrestlers are in constant physical contact and more importantly, they are rolling on gym floor mats. Every athlete that sweats and rolls on the ground is leaving behind something for the next competitor. It is our job to disinfect this surface and create a safe surface for each and every competitor that steps on the mat. One of the ways Invisimed successfully accomplishes this is with the best residual efficacy in the industry. The application both creates and maintains a clean environment. This is why Invisimed actively pre- and post-tests each facility they treat to create an appropriate timeline ensuring proper levels of cleanliness.

Some of Our Clients

See How Invisimed Can Help

Schedule a facility audit to see for yourself how Invisimed can completely change the way you perceive clean.