Knowing how to clean a wrestling mat is integral for every coach and wrestler. Cleaning is traditionally done by mopping the mat with disinfectant solution. Being able to properly disinfect your wrestling mat and keep it clean will not only extend its life, but it will also protect your wrestlers from skin diseases caused by bacterium, fungi, viruses, etc. The information in this guide will walk you through the process of cleaning your mat, which will benefit you and your wrestlers.
1. Sweep the Mat
Before you begin to mop, you must first remove any excess dirt, dust, hair, and other particles from the surface of the mat. The best way to do this is by using a soft-bristled push broom. Keep the broom in contact with the mat, and push all particles off of the mat. You can do this one of two ways:
- Start at one corner of the mat, and move the broom in a straight line. Push all of the particles onto a space off the mat and shake the broom out each time you reach the opposite end.
- Start at one corner and keep the broom in contact with the mat the entire time. Turn or pivot the broom when you reach each end of the mat (keeping the collection of particles on the mat) and eventually push all the particles off the mat near the entrance of the facility.
Wrestling is a contact sport that exposes wrestlers to all kinds of bacteria, making tips for cleaning wrestling mats essential. Dirty wrestling mats can expose wrestlers to blood borne diseases such as hepatitis B and AIDS and allow skin infections like ringworm to spread. According to safety regulations, wrestling mats should be cleaned thoroughly after each use. Wrestling mats are particular creatures that require proper handling.
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Unroll wrestling mat. If mats are rolled up, carefully unroll them and lay them flat on a clean floor. Make sure the room temperature is over 50 degrees or the mat surface can crack.
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Know your type of wrestling mat. Most mats are made from polyvinyl chloride foam or polyethylene foam and covered with a thin layer of vinyl. The care and cleaning is the same for either type of mat. If your mat is made from another substance, it is best to check with the manufacturer before attempting to clean mat.
broken fingers
3/29/2006 3:26pm,
so yesterday i got to class a littler earlier than usual (bout an hour early) and decided to mop up the mats. a guy caught staff a week ago so we are all being extra careful.
here is what was used.
1. disinfectant (green stuff, MR. Clean)
2. some bleach
3. water (not a lot)
I figured the more disinfectant/bleach, the cleaner the mat.
it left the mat feeling rather griddy/greasy. what am i missing or doing wrong?
the mats are real nice, dont wanna ruin them, but dont wanna catch staff either!
any suggestions/comments/unescapable flames?
BSDaemon
3/29/2006 3:41pm,
1. It's not staff, it's staph... short for Staphylococcal
2. That slippery feeling is due to the base still present on the mats. It feels like this because it is is actually disolving part of your skin. Give those chemicals plenty of time to dry up so this doesn't happen.
3. Cleaning your mats should not be "being extra careful" this should be your standard operating procedure.
It's not a good idea to combine bleach with other chemicals as they can form toxic compounds. Ammonia and bleach combine to form a highly poisonous vapor IIRC. If you're already using a disinfectant, why are you also using bleach? Bleach is also a disinfectant, it's just one of the more wide spectrum disinfectants. IME, bleach is not good for mats, but your mileage may vary.
Zapruder
3/29/2006 4:00pm,
For the love of all things holly DONT USE BLEACH!! There are mat fungicides you can get from wrestling supply places, but I am a fan of simple green and bottled water ( if there si a high mineral content in the tap water that too can eat it away). That stuff works great, and if you were in boot camp, it will bring back such fond memories. Give 'er a try and let me know what you think.
The CDC (Center for Disease Control) reports that more Americans die from Staph or MRSA each year than from AIDs or HIV. Also according to the CDC, the top sports attributed to MRSA infections are wrestling, football, and rugby. MRSA, Staph, and other skin infections are rampant in high school and college sports due to the amount of skin to skin contact between athletes, as well as the exchange of bodily fluids. In a sport like wrestling, skin to skin contact is unavoidable and there is little way of knowing whether your competition has a skin infection or is carrying a bacteria or virus. Regardless, wrestlers leave a lot on the mat, including bodily fluids which can also transmit MRSA or Staph long after the match is over.
The worst part about finding so many wrestlers with infections? MRSA and Staph are preventable, along with other skin infections, flu, and HIV. Keep reading for things that you can do to prevent infection and things your high school or college should be doing to protect wrestlers and athletes.
HOW WRESTLERS CAN PREVENT A MRSA INFECTION
- Educate themselves and others. Coaches and teachers should educate wrestlers on the factors to help prevent infections and how to recognize and treat one right away.
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Use good personal hygiene. Athletes need to shower directly after competition or practice with antimicrobial soap. Clean your practice clothes and uniforms after every use.
The regular cleaning and disinfecting of wrestling, tumbling and apparatus mats, wall padding, and vinyl-covered surfaces of exercise and weight training equipment is a critical deterrent to the spread of skin infections such as ringworm and impetigo. Effective spot cleaning when blood is present is required to reduce the risk of indirect transmission of bloodborne pathogens such as hepatitis B virus. The following guidelines are recommended for cleaning and disinfecting surfaces that are used regularly in organized sports activities and the physical education program:
• RESPONSIBILITY Team managers, team members, or others designated by the coach normally will perform the daily cleaning and disinfecting of the sport-specific equipment (e.g., wrestling mats). Generally, this is not considered the responsibility of the custodial staff. The director of student activities or other appropriate administrator should designate who is responsible for cleaning and disinfecting surfaces that are used by more than one team or group. Members of the physical education staff are responsible for the proper cleaning and disinfecting of surfaces used in their programs.
• FREQUENCY Clean and disinfect the contact surfaces daily or at least immediately prior to each period of use or event. Clean and disinfect both sides of reversible, portable mats. Large floor mats that are not permanently fixed to the floor should be rolled over to clean the underside at least weekly. The floor beneath the mats should be cleaned at the same time.
Athletic mouthguards or mouthpieces are critical pieces of equipment in contact sports like football, hockey, and boxing. The American Dental Association recommends them for all contact sports. But despite the fact that mouthguards are important protective equipment in these sports, athletes often pay little attention to their care and sanitation. A new study published in the May-June 2011 edition of Sports Healthsheds light on the microorganisms that can contaminate protective mouthguards.
Richard T. Glass, PhD, DDS et al. divided 62 Division I football players into four groups and then performed microbial analysis on the mouthguards of players in those groups. Group A practiced but did not compete in games, while group B practiced and competed in games. Players in groups A and B wore their mouthguards all season. Group C players wore mouthguards for practices and games but switched them at midseason. Group D players wore their mouthguards for practices and games and switched them at midseason but placed them in sanitizing solution after each practice or game until the next opportunity to wear them.
The authors found that the mouthguards became very contaminated with use. 81 mouthguards grew out 485 microbial isolates. Changing the mouthguards midseason helped but not significantly. However, soaking the mouthguards in a sanitizing solution did decrease the numbers of bacteria, yeast, and mold isolates significantly. Keeping the mouthguard outside of the mouth can lead to bacterial contamination.
A handful of the more than 300 FDNY probationary firefighters training on Randall's Island have contracted the antibiotic-resistant bacteria MRSA, officials confirm.
A type of staph infection, MRSA can spread quickly in highly populated environments like schools, gyms and hospitals. At medical facilities, MRSA can cause life-threatening bloodstream infections, pneumonia and surgical site infections.
The FDNY would not say exactly how many trainees were infected on Randall's Island, but says those infected are being treated and extra precaution is being taken for them to continue to train.
The department said in a statement, "We take this issue very seriously and we are acting aggressively to combat this problem by increasing our schedule of cleaning and disinfecting of facilities and equipment and educating our Instructors and Probies at the Fire Academy about how to prevent open wounds and the spread of MRSA."
In the movie "Jaws," actor Roy Scheider was able to get the better of a monster, a killer great white shark. But in real life, the macho actor succumbed to an entirely different kind of monster after he was weakened by cancer.
The National Football League spends millions on revamping its 32 teams' training facilities, installing state-of-the art hygienic safeguards and educating its coaches, trainers, and doctors about maintaining proper hygiene in training. And still its players are often felled by the same monster that killed Scheider.
Hospitals create educational campaigns, plaster their walls with informational posters and caveats, and encourage their staffs to keep equipment sterilized and practice good cleaning habits. Yet the monster remains one of the top four post-operative complications.
Responsible for 18,650 deaths nationwide a year—150 percent as many deaths as caused by AIDS—the monster is microscopic, extremely aggressive, and damned difficult to kill. The monster is a microbe called Staphylococcus.
Firefighters and medics may be, perhaps not surprisingly, at a higher risk for carrying methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureus (MRSA) than the average person, according to results from a new study conducted by Marilyn Roberts, a University of Washington professor of environmental and occupational health sciences. Roberts, a microbiologist, recently conducted the first-ever environmental health study on MRSA in Northwest fire stations and on fire personnel to determine the extent of related contamination.
In the last ten years, the number of hospital- and community-acquired MRSA infections—those often contracted in schools, public gyms, and in workplaces--has risen. Because MRSA can be transmitted from surfaces to people and from person to person, the increase in incidence has led to concern for first responders, including police, firefighters and emergency medical personnel. Fire personnel interact with both hospital and community populations as part of their job and have the potential to be exposed to MRSA as part of their daily duties.
"Firefighters and paramedics are at the crossroads between the public and hospital environments," said Roberts. "Their job includes administering first-response care to patients, many of whom are more likely to be MRSA carriers or have MRSA infections then the general population. This puts them at increased risk for MRSA infections."
Roberts found MRSA in four percent of more than 1,000 samples collected from surfaces inside Snohomish County fire stations, medic and fire trucks, and outer protective gear. But in each of the nine areas sampled, at least one sample tested positive for MRSA, and both hospital- and community-acquired MRSA were found.
Being a fitness buff and a germaphobe is not a good combination. If you're wondering why, it's because your local gym is positively swimming with bacteria, fungus and other things that make you go "ah-choo" in the night.
But fear not! Before you buy a containment suit and set your gym membership card on fire, rest assured that these common germs are easily avoided and much less frightening than they sound. Which is why we've provided a handy list of germs that have been found in gyms, what they actually are (in English) and how you can get them.
So spray and wipe down machines before and after you use them, lay a towel down before you lay your ass down on a bench, invest in a pair of shower flip-flops, change out of your sweaty gym duds as soon as you're done with your workout, and, most importantly, wash your hands before you stick them up your nose and in your mouth like a filthy toddler and you won't have to worry about these microscopic critters.
HUMAN PAPILLOMAVIRUS
What is it?
Human Papillomavirus is a virus that you probably know as HPV. It's the most common sexually transmitted disease... but that doesn't mean sex is the only way you get it...
Background. Athletics-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections have become a high-profile national problem with substantial morbidity.
Methods. To investigate an MRSA outbreak involving a college football team, we conducted a retrospective cohort study of all 100 players. A case was defined as MRSA cellulitis or skin abscess diagnosed during the period of 6 August (the start of football camp) through 1 October 2003.
Results. We identified 10 case patients (2 of whom were hospitalized). The 6 available wound isolates had indistinguishable pulsed-field gel electrophoresis patterns (MRSA strain USA300) and carried the Panton-Valentine leukocidin toxin gene, as determined by polymerase chain reaction. On univariate analysis, infection was associated (P < .05) with player position (relative risk [RR], 17.5 and 11.7 for cornerbacks and wide receivers, respectively), abrasions from artificial grass (i.e., “turf burns”; RR, 7.2), and body shaving (RR, 6.1). Cornerbacks and wide receivers were a subpopulation with frequent direct person-to-person contact with each other during scrimmage play and drills. Three of 4 players with infection at a covered site (hip or thigh) had shaved the affected area, and these infections were also associated with sharing the whirlpool ⩾2 times per week (RR, 12.2; 95% confidence interval, 1.4–109.2). Whirlpool water was disinfected with dilute povidone-iodine only and remained unchanged between uses.
Skin infections associated with contact with synthetic turf have received national attention in recent years, but there is no scientific evidence to support concern that the surfaces of infilled synthetic turf (the kind containing crumb rubber found in all fields built since the late 1990's) harbor the Staphylococcus aureus bacterium, the bacteria that cause MRSA, says a recent study. (Serensits, McNitt, and Petrunak 2011).
Two previous studies (Kasakova 2005; Begier 2004) examined the causes and the role of infilled synthetic turf in MRSA outbreaks in football teams. While both studies concluded that turf burns caused by synthetic turf could facilitate skin infection through person-to-person contact, neither suggested that the players contracted the infection directly from bacteria in the synthetic turf itself.
NYSDOH Recommendations to Prevent CA-MRSA
• Shower thoroughly with soap after all practices and competitions. Wash your hands frequently with soap and water or alcohol-based hand sanitizers. If your hands are visibly soiled, wash thoroughly with soap and water.
• Do not share towels or other personal items such as clothing, razors or equipment. Since these items can become contaminated and may spread disease, regularly wash items after each use.
• Check your skin regularly for any reddened areas, pimples or boils causing pus, swelling or pain.
• Avoid contact with other people’s wounds or bandages.
• All cuts and other abrasions on the skin should be washed with soap and water and covered with dry, sterile bandages. These bandages should be replaced daily until healed.
• If you have a wound that can not be covered adequately, notify your coach or school nurse.
• Consider refraining from practice or competitions until the wound can be covered or has completely healed.
• Tell your school nurse, coach or athletic trainer if you think you have a skin infection. Sports gear, such as helmets, that are non-washable should be wiped down with disinfectants after each use.
• Ask about routine cleaning schedules for shared equipment, such as towels, uniforms and athletic equipment.
• See your health care provider if you think you have CA-MRSA.
• If an infection is identified, involve appropriate personnel, such as coach, school nurse, administration and parents to take proper precautions to avoid the spread of infection.
Skin infections account for up to 10% of time-loss injuries in some sports and can cause serious illness. Skin infections can be spread from one athlete to another. You can help protect athletes from becoming sick or losing playing time due to skin infections.
Skin infections can lead to:
- Lost playing time
- Scarring, sometimes on face
- Wounds or rashes that keep recurring
- Rarely, serious life-threatening infections if not treated quickly
The three most important skin infections are:
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Staphylococcus aureus “Staph”
Caused by: bacteria
Typically: one or more painful sores, with pus surrounded by redness, sometimes associated with fever
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Herpes
Caused by: virus, the same virus that causes cold sores in the mouth
Typically: one or more painful blisters with clear fluid surrounded by redness
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Tinea “Ringworm”
Caused by: fungus
Typically: itchy, dry, red, circular patches
What are the risk factors for passing skin infections from one person to another?
- Skin-to-skin contact
- Wrestling and football are the sports with the most number of outbreaks
- Outbreaks have been reported among participants in many other sports
- Inadequate hand washing
- Sharing sweaty or dirty clothes, towels, or equipment
- Breaks in the skin, sores, or open wounds particularly if they are draining fluid and are not covered by a bandage that covers the entire wound
- Not showering after every practice or game
Skin infections are a leading cause of missed competition. Skin-related infections account for nearly 10 percent of high school sports-related health conditions or injuries in athletes. The number jumps to 20 percent for college-level athletes.
Sports-related skin infections have a variety of causes, including bacteria, viruses and fungi. Most of these infections spread through skin-to-skin contact, poor hygiene or shared equipment or towels. Caring for athletes should include recognizing and evaluating these conditions to prevent the spread of infections between competitors.
How do skin infections spread?
Maintain clean facilities.Skin-to-skin contact
Athlete A develops a skin infection, then spreads the infection to Athlete B through skin-to-skin contact. Athlete B may now be colonized and remain asymptomatic or develop an infection.
Equipment and environment
Athlete A may indirectly transfer infectious material to Athlete B. Common exposure paths include clothing, equipment, such as a weight machine, or a shared surface, such as a training table or wrestling mat.
Preventing skin infections
- Practice good hygiene, including frequent hand washing and showering after every sports activity.
- Discourage athletes from sharing towels, gear, water bottles, razors or hair clippers.
- Worn clothing should be laundered or disinfected daily.
- Encourage athletes to complete a daily skin survey and report any suspicious lesions for treatment.
Products aimed at preventing infections in athletes include:
- Products for turf or field
- Locker room antimicrobial solutions
- Light-based germicidal products
While these products may be effective, none are proven to be more effective than standard cleaning practices. The CDC recommends:
- Routine laundry practices
- Daily cleaning of surfaces that contact bare skin, such as benches or shared equipment. Clean those surfaces with a detergent-based cleaner or EPA-registered disinfectant and allow them to dry completely.
- Equipment with damaged surfaces that interfere with cleaning should be repaired or thrown out.
There is no evidence that spraying or fogging rooms or surfaces with disinfectants prevent MRSA infections more effectively than the targeted approach of cleaning frequently touched surfaces.
Case definition: Probable case: A case of skin infection in a contact sports team diagnosed by a healthcare provider
Confirmed case: A probable case that is laboratory confirmed
Outbreak Definition: Two or more cases of the same skin infection in a contact sports team within an 8 day period
Prior to Having an Outbreak:
1) School administrators should assist in preventing skin infections in sports teams by providing:
Warm water, soap, and paper towels in locker rooms and bathrooms
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) registered disinfectants Training and education for staff, coaches and athletes 2) All athletes should:
Maintain a good personal hygiene and shower immediately with an antimicrobial soap and water after every competition and practice.
Wash all soiled clothing after each practice and disinfect personal gear (knee pads, braces, etc.) daily as per manufacturer’s recommendations
Not share towels, athletic gear or personal hygiene products (razors, clippers) or water bottles with others
Refrain from full body cosmetic shaving (Chest, Arms, and/or Abdomen)
Avoid using whirlpools and common tubs if they have open wounds, scrapes, or scratches
Notify an athletic trainer, coach, parent or guardian if they have any skin lesions, cuts or abrasions prior to any competition or practice
Cover acute, uninfected wounds, such as abrasions or lacerations with a semiocclusive or occlusive dressing until healing is complete
What is MRSA and how can it affect me? Staphylococcus aureus (“staph”) is a germ that often lives in the nose or on the skin of healthy people. MRSA, short for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, is a type of staph germ that is resistant to certain antibiotics. In the community, most MRSA infections are skin infections (pustules, boils) that may be: • Mistaken for spider bites • Red, swollen, painful, warm to the touch, and have pus or other drainage • Accompanied by a fever To learn more about MRSA, visit www.cdc.gov/mrsa Can MRSA be spread at recreational water facilities? MRSA does not survive long in pools and other treated swimming places (for example, hot tubs/spas) that have proper disinfectant (chlorine) and pH levels. There have been no reports of MRSA spreading through contact with recreational water. However, MRSA can be spread at recreational water facilities and other places by direct and indirect contact with infected persons. Direct contact can happen when you touch another person’s MRSA infection. Indirect contact can happen when you share items (like towels or razors) or touch surfaces (like hand rails or locker room benches) contaminated with MRSA. MRSA is most likely to spread when it comes into contact with an uncovered cut or scrape.
Rugby players who share towels, razors or even ice baths are at risk of passing on serious skin infections, Public Health England experts warn.
An investigation at a Midlands rugby club found the PVL-MSSA bug had spread between players, giving rise to boils, abscesses and carbuncles.
And in serious cases, the infection can lead to life-threatening illness and cause skin and tissues to die.
Doctors have urged players to indulge in less sharing and better hygiene.
'Close contact'
The condition is caused by a strain of bacteria, known as methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus, that produces a toxin called Panton-Valentine leukocidin.
Public Health England investigators examined a cluster of suspected infections at the same rugby team between August 2013 and February 2014.
They found four cases of the infection, having screened about 60 members.
And their tests revealed an identical strain of bacteria was responsible for all four infections, suggesting the bug was being transmitted between people.
Abstract
Although the usual perspective on return to play for athletes is recovery from injury, an unheralded aspect on return to play involves potentially contagious skin infections. An estimated 8.5% of health conditions and injuries related to high school sports and 21% of health conditions and injuries related to college sports involve infectious diseases of the skin. In about half of these cases, the head, face, or neck is affected. The infectious agents are common microorganisms, including methicillin-resistant and methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus and Streptococcus bacteria, herpes viruses, and tinea fungi. The challenge for physicians is to provide proper treatment to patients within the return-to-play guidelines of a sport's governing body, resulting in rapid resolution of the condition, minimization of time spent out of the sport, and minimization of communicable spread of the disease.
Public participation in sports is popular in many countries, particularly the United States. Athletes often acquire dermatologic infectious diseases during their sporting activities. Direct and indirect transmission of infectious agents occurs readily by the shear nature of contact competition in the sports environment. Athletes commonly present to primary care physicians, sports medicine specialists, and dermatologists, but they may also present to any specialty provider.
Preventing disruption of sports participation and achieving an appropriately timed return to play is challenging for both provider and patient. Poorly managed infectious disease may result in detrimental consequences to the patient's health and sports success. Furthermore, inaccurate diagnosis may lead to regional epidemics and other medical consequences, as well as substantial amounts of missed time from sports. Unnecessary missed time can result in increased morbidity as well as decreased athletic opportunities for the patient.
Myriad dermatoses can affect athletes. One of the most common cutaneous manifestations of athletic activity are skin infections caused by bacteria,1,2,3,4 viruses,1,2,4,5,6,7,8 and fungi.1,2,4,9,10,11 Many infections are contagious and may have serious ramifications for team practices and competitions. Knowledge of these infections facilitates implementation of rapid treatment and preventive measures to ensure the least disruption in daily team activities.
BACTERIAL INFECTIONS
Several specific sports-related dermatologic conditions are caused by bacterial infection. Staphylococcal infection is the most common, but streptococcal infection is also common.1,2,3,4Both organisms may present as various clinical disorders, such as impetigo, erysipelas, folliculitis,1,2,4 and furunculosis.3 These infections are probably contagious. Impetigo, characterized by well-defined, erythematous, yellow-crusted, scaling plaques, and erysipelas, characterized by well-defined, advancing, erythematous plaques, can be treated with topical warm soaks and oral antibiotics.1,4 Folliculitis () manifests as small follicular pustules that can be treated with topical or oral antibiotics.1 These bacterial infections occur in athletes participating in sports in which close personal contact occurs, including rugby, judo, and wrestling.2,4 Furunculosis outbreaks, however, have been noted also in football and basketball athletes. One study showed that 25% of high school athletes in these sports developed furunculosis.3 Direct contact with furuncles was significantly associated with transmission; exposure to equipment seemed to be less important in its transmission. Some authors, however, have suggested that athletic bags and wrestling mats may also facilitate transmission of organisms.4 Rapid treatment and isolation of the affected athlete from other competitors is important to decrease the rapid spread of the bacteria.1,2,4 Other authors have suggested that if the incidence of infection is low, bandaging may be a reasonable means to prevent transmission.3 If outbreaks continue within a team, the bacterial carrier status of the members can be evaluated by culturing crural areas and nasal passages,4 and appropriate treatment can be instituted.
Think boils and blisters are no big deal? Think again. Some seemingly minor skin problems are caused by MRSA, potentially lethal staph germs that are resistant to some antibiotics.
The key to successful treatment of a MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) infection is prompt treatment. That's why it's so important to know all about MRSA - what causes it, how it's treated, and - perhaps most important - what MRSA skin infections look like.
What does a MRSA skin infection look like? Typically, it's a bump, boil, pustule, or infected area that is red and swollen and full of pus. It may be painful and warm to the touch, and accompanied by a fever.
Sometimes MRSA lesions are mistaken for spider bites.
Is the lesion "purulent?" That is, is it movable, compressible, and fluid-filled? Does it have a yellow or white center, with a central point or "head?" Is it draining pus? Those are all signs of a MRSA skin infection.
What is ringworm of the skin?
Ringworm of the skin is an infection caused by a fungus.
Jock itch is a form of ringworm that causes an itchy rash on the skin of your groin area. It is much more common in men than in women. Jock itch may be caused by the spread ofathlete's foot fungus to the groin.
What causes ringworm?
Ringworm is not caused by a worm. It is caused by a fungus. The kinds of fungi (plural of fungus) that cause ringworm live and spread on the top layer of the skin and on the hair. They grow best in warm, moist areas, such as locker rooms and swimming pools, and in skin folds.
Ringworm is contagious. It spreads when you have skin-to-skin contact with a person or animal that has it. It can also spread when you share things like towels, clothing, or sports gear.
You can also get ringworm by touching an infected dog or cat, although this form of ringworm is not common.
What are the symptoms?
Ringworm of the skin usually causes a very itchy rash. It often makes a pattern in the shape of a ring, but not always. Sometimes it is just a red, itchy rash.
Ringworm
June 27, 2016 09:00
Although their names — ringworm, jock itch, and athlete's foot — may sound funny, if you're a teen with one of these skin infections, you're probably not laughing. If you've ever had one, you know that all of these can produce some pretty unpleasant symptoms.
The good news is that tinea, the name for this category of common skin infections, is generally easy to treat.
The Basics on Tinea Infections
Tinea (pronounced: TIH-nee-uh) is the medical name for a group of related skin infections, including athlete's foot, jock itch, and ringworm. They're caused by several types of mold-like fungi calleddermatophytes (pronounced: der-MAH-tuh-fites) that live on the dead tissues of the skin, hair, and nails.
What Is Ringworm?
Ringworm, which isn't a worm at all, can affect not only the skin, but also the nails and scalp.
Ringworm of the skin starts as a red, scaly patch or bump. Ringworm tends to be very itchy and uncomfortable. Over time, it may begin to look like a ring or a series of rings with raised, bumpy, scaly borders (the center is often clear). This ring pattern gave ringworm its name, but not every person who's infected develops the rings.
“More enduringly than any other sport, wrestling teaches self-control and pride. Some have wrestled without great skill—none have wrestled without pride.” ~ Dan Gable
Today’s workforce is extremely competitive. When comparing resumes it’s easy to get lost in all the bullet points of software literacy and past responsibilities. If you really want to separate two seemingly qualified employees, bring them in for an interview and ask a simple question, “Have you ever participated in sports at an elite level?”
“Current research indicates that individuals who have competed in elite level athletics, i.e., collegiate, international, or professional level competition possess higher levels of emotional intelligence than their non-athlete counterparts,” says Richard Mendelson, I.O. psychologist and founder ofDynamic IO Consultants, a consulting firm specializing in human capital management and other services.
In 1996, Dr. William Brad McGonagle, associate vice president for administration at Texas A&M University wrote his dissertation studying how former athletes transfer the skill set they developed through athletics to the workplace. He found that an employee with prior athletic experience was able to transfer the lessons of being a team player and also noticed strengths in accomplishment-based skills, discipline, and communication.
