Courtesy of Nuala Moore.
Dr. Patrick Buck and ice swimmer Nuala Moore discuss the effects of afterdrop and the usefulness of a Blizzard Survival Bag after a cold water workout.
Moore explains, “As [ice] swimmers, we all suffer after drop, particularly when we are exposed to cold environments post-swim. After Drop is a consequence of the cold peripheral blood and the warm core blood mixing as it re-circulates through the cold surface tissues and internally as a person rewarms. This occurs after a swimmer leaves the water and is an often overlooked factor of the support team. This oversight can – and does – result in death. The primary way of mitigating against After Drop is applying the correct rewarming techniques and allowing sufficient time for the swimmer to regain a normal core body temperature.
The time we take to manage ourselves and the effort our team takes to reheat us can be the difference between a positive and negative outcome.
I picked up a Blizzard Survival Bag at the World Extreme Medicine conference. I am impressed with the recovery times using the bags especially facing a cold wind.”
For more information on the Blizzard Survival Bag, visit here.
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