What Should a Sports First Aid Kit Contain? Skills Training Group First Aid Course
IanMall
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You already know how beneficial it is to engage in physical exercise for both the body and the mind. However, any activity that requires movement, whether it is done inside a gym or outdoors in nature, carries a few risks. Therefore, when participating in sporting activities, safety should be a top priority. To ensure this, having a sports first aid kit handy is essential. It will help to quickly treat sporting injuries in an emergency.
What is a ‘sports’ first aid kit?
A sports first aid kit is a portable box or bag containing a collection of supplies and accessories necessary to treat minor sporting injuries. It contains medical items that help urgently treat sprains, scrapes, bruises, cuts, and burns to avoid the risk of injury aggravation.
A sports first aid kit must include the minimum required items for urgent basic medical care. However, medication expiration dates should be checked regularly and used items replaced as soon as possible. The first aid kit must correspond with the type of sporting activity and the environment. For example, a first aid kit for swimming practice is slightly different than that for a track and field event. But regardless of the sporting activity, vital basics such as sterile disposable gloves, antiseptic solution, bandages, a pair of scissors, clean water, as well as plastic bags should be included in the kit.
Essential items in a complete sports first aid kit
The sports first aid kit is often the first medical resource available in sports facilities. But what items should a basic kit contain? We asked experienced first aid instructors at Skills Training Group to find out what are the essential supplies in a first aid kit for a training session or a competition event.
A complete first aid kit should contain the following items:
What is a ‘sports’ first aid kit?
A sports first aid kit is a portable box or bag containing a collection of supplies and accessories necessary to treat minor sporting injuries. It contains medical items that help urgently treat sprains, scrapes, bruises, cuts, and burns to avoid the risk of injury aggravation.
A sports first aid kit must include the minimum required items for urgent basic medical care. However, medication expiration dates should be checked regularly and used items replaced as soon as possible. The first aid kit must correspond with the type of sporting activity and the environment. For example, a first aid kit for swimming practice is slightly different than that for a track and field event. But regardless of the sporting activity, vital basics such as sterile disposable gloves, antiseptic solution, bandages, a pair of scissors, clean water, as well as plastic bags should be included in the kit.
Essential items in a complete sports first aid kit
The sports first aid kit is often the first medical resource available in sports facilities. But what items should a basic kit contain? We asked experienced first aid instructors at Skills Training Group to find out what are the essential supplies in a first aid kit for a training session or a competition event.
A complete first aid kit should contain the following items:
- A suitable container: The first aid box or bag should be of an adequate size to hold all the required supplies. Sports with more participants such as football, basketball, rugby, or handball may require more first aid kit supplies (and thereforefore a bigger bag) than sports that are practiced individually or in pairs, such as tennis, wrestling, or cycling.
- Cold spray: This is ideal for athletes who need quick relief after sprains, bad falls, or other injuries in which cold treatment is recommended. It is recommended that you have a can of cold spray in the sports kit for both training sessions and competition events. Its use is very simple, you only need to point and spray the vaporizer on the injured area at a distance of about 20 centimeters.
- Ice packs: These medical care items are very useful in treating sporting injuries such as blows, trauma, swelling, and other injuries where cold treatment is appropriate. Today you can find instant cold packs that don’t require refrigeration but are activated by a firm squeeze.
- Heat effect massage spray. The use of this spray is highly recommended together with a light massage to help work the active ingredients into the injured area. Heat spray produces a relaxing warming and anti-inflammatory effect to provide symptomatic relief to those areas that respond positively to heat therapy.
- A pair of scissors: Among essential items included in a first aid kit is the practical and light pair of scissors. These are very useful for primary care where quick, immediate and urgent action is required. These are easy to handle and come in an optimal size, ideal for any emergency situation.
- Surgical forceps: The surgery forceps is an item that cannot be missing in a complete first aid kit. It is perfect for removing small foreign objects from wounds. They are also used for holding and manipulating body tissue or pieces of clothing.
- Rubbing alcohol: This partially denatured alcohol solution is made up of distilled water, isopropyl alcohol, and triclosan. It is recommended for topical use, usually for cleaning the skin. It can also be used as a solvent for chemical formulations, as an additive for antifreeze liquid, and for cleaning various surfaces.
- Hydrogen peroxide: Often paired with rubbing alcohol, medical hydrogen peroxide comes in a 3% concentration. It is meant for topical use to sterilize the skin. Due to its oxidizing characteristics, it is a good disinfectant, antiseptic, and deodorizing agent.
- Cotton balls: Hydrophilic cotton balls have many uses in a first aid kit. They are usually dipped in alcohol or hydrogen peroxide and used to clean wounds. They are also useful for removing dirt and foreign objects from cuts and bruises, stopping bleeding, and applying topical ointments. They are recommended for hyginic superficial use that avoids invasive contact.
- Sterile Gauzes: This dressing is recommended for cleaning and covering lacerations, cuts, scrapes, grazes, and turf or grass burns. These pads are made from loose cotton fibers that allow wound ventilation and wicks blood and other fluids away from the injured area. Gauze pads require storage under suitable conditions to ensure they remain clean.
- Elastic bandages. Elastic bandages are usually made from latex-free cotton and elastomer. Its main characteristic is its ability to stretch and provide localized compression. This property offers optimal adaptability to support injured joints and extremities.
- Waterproof digital thermometer. A digital thermometer with a large display for reading body temperature is essential in a complete sports first aid kit. Its waterproof property makes it easy to use for oral, axillary, or rectal applications. Its imperviousness to water also means it can be effectively cleaned and disinfected.
The above items make up the basic supplies that a first-aid kit should contain. These can be safely used by non-medical personnel, especially if they have been trained to treat a wound, treat a burn or immobilize a possible fracture.
If there will be a qualified doctor or nurse who is going to supervise the sporting event, the first aid kit could also contain surgical needle and thread, glucose serums, as well as medications such as anti-inflammatories, antihistamines, analgesics, adrenaline, and epinephrine. For more information or to get professional training in sports first aid courses at an affordable rate, please visit Skills Training Group today.
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