Sailing, Body Heat Regulation - Spinal Cord Injury

by Lynn Fitzpatrick on 11 Oct 2007 Most people with complete spinal cord injuries do not sweat below the level of the injury. This means that they need to monitor and control their environmental conditions.

When I look at the weather forecasts and the newsletters and photos coming from sailors at the US Olympic and Paralympic Sailing Trials, I’m noticing that most of the pictures that are coming from Newport, Rhode Island, where sailors have been treated to a broad range of conditions that include rollers, surfing conditions, fog and light air, most everyone is wearing neoprene, a spray top and a cap of some sort.

This reminded me that what makes for great conditions for an Olympic sailor does not necessarily make for great conditions for a Paralympic sailor.

A normal, healthy human is able to maintain a constant body temperature of approximately 98.6F despite the temperature of the environment.

As we saw in this week’s Chicago Marathon, even an elite athlete’s body can overheat to the point of no return. Barely functioning body heat regulation for a sailor with a spinal cord injury is a consequence that many able-bodied people don’t think about.

Most people with complete spinal cord injuries do not sweat below the level of the injury. This means that they need to monitor and control their environmental conditions.

If you remember your science class on cold blooded animals, you’ll remember that these animals have an inside body temperature that is controlled by the outside temperature of the environment.

Blood vessels do not dilate and contract appropriately to enable the person with a spinal cord injury to cool down or conserve heat in the same manner of the rest of us. The nerves that used to allow messages to fire back and forth telling blood vessels to dilate or constrict, are damaged and interrupted.

A comfortable range for many of our sailors with spinal cord injuries is 70-80° Fahrenheit.(21-27 centigrade.)

Once the outside temperature rises above 90° Fahrenheit (32 degrees centigrade), especially when the humidity is high, the body temperature will begin to rise and they will develop elevated body temperatures. Loss of energy and general malaise are symptoms that if left untreated may lead to heat stroke. Likewise, in cold conditions, they have a tendency to become hypothermic.

Many of our sailors with spinal cord injuries know their 'safe window' in terms of their exposure at different temperatures and humidity levels and team mates and coaches have to pay close attention to symptoms and comfort levels.

As this week’s US Olympic and Paralympic Sailing Trials go on, the physical and psychological demands of a long regatta will affect everyone differently.

All of us must appreciate the added demands on our sailors with spinal cord and other injuries as they race for the opportunity to represent their countries US in Qingdao, China next year where the hot Qingdao Tiger roars through the end of August and then it starts to cool down.