Orienteering health hazards

[ryeland of doom]

For the second time in 6 years I have been laid up with a dose of cellulitis, most likely from a scratch/puncture when orienteering. (ironic having left teh West Mids for less brambly forests - probably got infected at Uath Lochan or Dallaschyle)

Is there any info or experience out there as to how common a problem this is in the sport and are there any ideas on how to reduce the risk in future. (other than avoid the SW of England )


Quite frightening - I went in to a class on Thursday morning, the poison kicked in and I was all but carried out. 1/2 hour from well to rather poorly.

[ifititches]

ryeland, no-one else replied , so you're left with my opinion.

Cellulitis often due to Group A streptococci (same as cause tonsillitis). You can carry the bug without symptoms in nose or throat, so you may be unwittingly infecting the scratches yourself. Also watch out for athlete's foot affected toes, which often let in the same bug. As you've found out. it can make you very sick, very quickly.

Best thing with scratches is to get them cleaned up thoroughly asap with clean water and cover them wth clean dressing. Don't ignore unusual redness,throbbing or pain; get it looked at quickly. If you're prone to scratches getting infected then drying them with separate clean towel/tissue might help stop infection getting in.

Although I'm sure it's common for orienteers to impale themselves on same sharp branches/brambles near controls as others, the legs/arms are not usually home to Gp A Strep, so not likely to be getting that from other competitors unless you're sharing towels (hepatitis B the known problewm for cross-infection in O).Deeper wounds that get contaminated with dirt , and maybe still have bits of stick in them are a separate issue.

In rugby ,players who get repeatedly scratched by their opponent's stubble, whilst also being in close contact with their mouths and noses, not uncommonly get Gp A strep and Staphylococcal skin infection from their game.

Other bacteria can cause this, but strep. and staph. are most common

[Guest]

Rob got something from an insect bite in Sweden last year. He ended up with anti bacterial cream and then, anti bios when it flared up into imbetigo later.

Is that a similar thing to Ryeland or not

Hocolite

[ifititches]

almost certainly was a staph or strep. It's very easy to super-infect bites with mouth or skin bugs, which cause problems when they can get into broken skin. The itching from the bite (ifititiches) of course gets you scratching and damaging the skin even more, and spreading it to other sites. Some strains of these bacteria have extra toxins which help them spread once they've got in.
Mind you, a good horse fly bite, strategically placed, can lay me up for several days without any help from bacteria! (but i'll spare you the "horse flies I have known" sagas)

oops, can't spell my own name.. never mind!

[ryeland of doom]

Thanks for the reply.. Irony was there were so few scratches.
I am investing in some gaiters when I get back.

Unfortunately things got worse. The first treatment did not work and I am still struggling. I am now in the hands of the Royal Infirmary and hoping that the stuff they are pumping into me pays off. 8 days off work so far.

Good advice above... Take this one seriously, its bad news. Never heard of it in an orienteering context before, save the last time it happened.

[Copepod]

I find that iodine tincture is very good for applying to new scratches, even if they don't need covering. After the initial sting, the alcohol evaporates, leaving a lovely purple mark. Of course, protection with gaiters also helps prevent wounds in the first place. Waterproof plasters are recommended, to prevent entry to other bugs such as the cause of leptospirosis (leads to Weil's diseas) etc.

[Guest]

How about this for an unusual injury, doctor has just diagnosed a dose of epididymitis when returning from the World Cup. Type it in Google if you wonder what it is, lets just say only half of the nation can get it!

[Guest]

Only reason I've heard of that is that it appears in Monty Python's Medical Love Song. My sincere sympathies. Incidentally, other sports can have hidden dangers. My half-hour swim at the local pool yesterday (first time I've been there) brought me out in a total body rash! It faded after a few hours but now I'm wondering if I've developed some sensitization to chlorinated water!

[ifititches]

be worth checking if the pool is using bromine, rather than chlorine as a disinfectant. Bromine causes a much higher rate of rashes in pool users. I think there may be an element of sensitisation too, so having responded to it once with a rash, it might happen again. Could also be that they hadn't got the concentration quite right.