Why football players cramp more during early season games

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A football game against two local high schools saw several players experience muscle spasms called cramps.

Dr. Winnie Whitaker, Dell Children's Medical Center division director for pediatric emergency medicine, said that heat can increase the risk of cramps and that they can be a sign of more serious heat-related illnesses.

"Kids will start complaining of just being really thirsty and asking for more water. As heat-related symptoms continue and worsen, we start seeing things like confusion, slurred speech, unsteady gait, fainting, really flushed skin, being flustered," said Whitaker in an Aug. 23 KXAN interview.

Hydration and lowering the body's internal temperature are critical to treat any heat-related condition.

"We want to make sure that if they start saying that we're giving them more water and encouraging rest," Whitaker said. "Easy things to do are to move them to a cool, shaded area...[removing] any unnecessary layers of clothing. You can also either spray them with some room temperature water, or take a cool wash cloth and apply it to their neck or in their armpit area."

However, rest isn't always readily available, as some players may be on offensive and defensive teams.

Cramps aren't tracked, so there's no readily available data about which teams and players are most affected. KXAN Sports Director Roger Wallace notes that cramping can also happen more frequently to athletes who perform in "bursts" of speed, and during hotter early season games.

The University Interscholastic League classifies most of Texas at its highest level for heat guidelines. On Thursday, the Austin area reached UIL's "yellow flag" level, which requires four rest breaks of at least four minutes each hour.