Medicine in the sport of sailing

This chapter is very extensive, especially because it is difficult to define, depending on how one considers from a coastal navigation of hours to a professional ocean regatta. In these notes we will focus on the current Volvo Ocean Race model that we are now dealing with.

What is clear is that several modalities of Medicine are involved, both primary and preventive or specialized care (sports, dermatology, traumatology, rehabilitation or nutrition).

Most frequent injuries

In oceanic regattas it is evident that the most frequent injuries are musculoskeletal injuries, the order of the day due to the mere fact of manning a large boat, very fast, very nervous in its handling, short of crew…., And looking for the biggest waves and the strongest winds!

The VOR 65 boat (monotype chosen for this edition of the regatta) is very extreme, without any concession to comfort, and this entails endless bumps and bruises, at least. Such traumas easily escalate as soon as you let your guard down for a moment or a wave that is slightly larger than usual appears.

But we must not only consider the risk of manning a ship of this type in such conditions. It is not by chance that the greatest risk of trauma occurs when you are "resting" below deck, where you cannot see the waves (although you can feel them) and there are all kinds of possible traps to take a good hit. As an anecdote, I will comment that in the previous edition of the regatta, the greatest trauma was suffered by a very experienced English crew member, while he was in the bathroom…. !! According to his own words, the boat jumped a wave and the bath disappeared from under its buttocks, with the result that it was thrown at the other side of the boat, 4m away.

In addition, and even considering large boats, we must not forget that the physical effort required of their crews is enormous. Therefore, they are individuals who already work intensely, both strength sessions and agility and mobility sessions, so that they are also subject to common sports injuries: tendinitis, fiber breaks, sprains, fractures, etc.

Most frequent diseases

Continuing with our framework regarding VOR, the answer to this section is one that usually surprises the journalist: skin diseases are the most frequent, by far. But it is obvious, to nothing that we realized the fact that the skin, after all, is the first and only barrier between our own body and the environment that surrounds it. We are talking about constant wind, high and low temperatures, radiation, saltpeter, constant humidity, erosion by ropes and sails ..., an endless number of aggressions that will put our skin to the test from the moment one steps on board. .

Another aspect that participates notably in this aspect is the fact that the boats are already so fast that they get the apparent wind (the result of adding the real wind and that derived from the movement of the boat itself) to move across. Result: the boats are very wet, much more than before. And this fact is exacerbated when, due to the same high speed of the ship, the previous waves are reached and "puncture" them. Result: water on deck in abundance. On the one hand, the fact is that the wetsuit is a constant in this type of navigation, regardless of whether the weather was better or worse. And hand in hand with this, sweating, poor ventilation, dehydration, constant humidity ..., increase the aggression on the skin of the VOR sailor.

On the other hand, it is evident that respiratory problems also appear, derived from the very close coexistence of 9 crew members (12 in the case of the SCA girls) no longer in a small boat but in only certain areas of that small boat . In any case, it is very curious but also reasonable, to note that most colds, flu and bronchitis occur in the first days of the journey (viruses brought from home, after all), disappearing in the second half of the same.

In the same sense, if we really wanted to do things well, we should consider that the crew of this regatta is an immunosuppressed individual; therefore, you should make the most of your rest periods between stages by eating and resting correctly; and preventing contact with high-probability sources of viruses and bacteria, such as airplanes, children, etc. As an anecdote I will comment that, before the arrival of some especially tough stages, we even came to remind families of the importance of identifying those children affected by any of their many diseases, in order to try to minimize the impact on the crew member and avoid compromise your recovery.

First aid kit on board

As we can easily imagine, the first-aid kit that these boats carry is very complete, both due to the many vicissitudes that can arise and the need to, perhaps, have to be self-sufficient for days (it is true that this fact has been reduced considerably).

Still and all, such kits are subject to rule. That is, they are all the same, weigh the same and are arranged in the same way. And the fundamental reason for this is ... to have the assurance that the boat is equipped with everything necessary so that a remote medical professional can advise on the treatment of any injury or illness that may arise. If we did not do so, it is very likely that the first aid kits would be the first thing our crew members would sacrifice in order to be lighter and scratch a few tenths of a knot of speed. At the end of the day, no one expects to need it….!

But a complete and studied medicine cabinet is not enough. The set must be completed with a good connoisseur of it and experienced in its handling. Equally regulated, a minimum of two crew members on each boat must be trained in applied first aid; in other words, very demanding and complete paramedical training courses, so that they can be handled reasonably comfortably with the first aid kit.

Of course, via satellite or by mail, they have us at their disposal 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to consult the diagnosis, apply the treatment and follow up on the relevant patient. At the end of the day, it is always good that, no matter how clear things are, a professional in the field confirms that you are on the right track.

What is clear is that the idea of ​​bringing a doctor on board (just in case ...) has disappeared. I already have it at a distance from a phone call or an email, or even a videoconference… !, so I give preference to a specialist crew member.

For all these unforeseen events, it is essential to have a program aimed at the needs of athletes.