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By Michael Clarkson,
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Infection is one of the inherent risks of playing hockey. Sometimes it reaches near-deadly proportions. This week, Leafs winger Mikael Renberg avoided amputation and, perhaps, even death after he developed an infection in his finger. He was rushed to hospital with a fever and, although he is recovering, he remains out of action indefinitely. In October, Leafs goalie Ed Belfour missed four game, also with an infected finger which he originally cut on one of the straps of his pads. While there are rare cases, less serious infections are common in hockey and other sports. In fact, athletes are more
susceptible to infections that many other groups of people, according to Dr.
Brian Adams, a dermatologist and an assistant professor at the “Athletes are particularly susceptible
to infections for a variety of reason,” “Sweating soften and impairs the skin’s main barrier of the body, the stratum corneum. Athletic equipment obstructs the skin, thereby creating a warm and moist environment for micro-organism growth. In addition, adthletes often suffer from skin trauma such as cuts or scrapes, which facilitates the entry of micro-organisms.” Types of bacteria can infect athletes and cause impetigo, a contagious skin condition characterized by yellow, crusted lesions. Wrestlers, rugby players and football players are more at risk for developing impetigo because of the close skin-to-skin contact inherent to these sports. But such contact is rarer with hockey players, who are nearly head-to-toe in equipment. Such infections affect amateur athletes as well as the pros. If a lesion cannot be bandaged, Sometimes, an injury can start out as seemingly minor. Belfour’s finger became infected after he cut it on one of the straps of his pads. And Rendberg’s infection came
after he aggravated a blister on his finger while tying his skates before
last Saturday’s game in He eventually landed in hospital with a fever that reached 40ºC (104ºF). Many hockey players get blisters because, as they skate, their equipment can cause friction to the skin. As well, heat, moisture and poorly fitted skate boots can increase the risk for blister development. To prevent blisters, athletes
should keep their skin well lubricated to help reduce friction and decrease
moisture, In 1998, Leafs therapists Brent Smith and Chris Broadhurst were instrumental in saving defenceman Jeff Brown from a serious blood infection. Feeling ill, after suffering a cut above the ankle in an earlier injury, Brown told the therapists he wanted to go home and lie down. “I know now that if I’d done that, I would have died or gone into a coma or maybe lost a leg,” Brown later recalled. The therapists had Brown rushed to a hospital, where he was diagnosed with “septic shock.” Surgery was needed to clean out the wound. Brown recovered, but the effect of the infection was given as one of the reasons that he never played his best as the quarterback on the Leafs power play and he was dealt to the Washington Capitals later that season. Many NHLers are at risk to infection because they refuse to update their equipment and it becomes a breeding ground for bacteria, although the Leafs regularly disinfect their equipment. Some Leafs where baseball-type gloves under their hockey gloves for extra protection. “I probably have some of the dirtiest, stinkiest gloves, so if I am to get a paper cut on my hand, I could be a prime candidate for infection,” said Leafs forward Alyn McCauley. |
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