Sports Creams : Sports Injury Treatment

Sports creams are medicinal creams or ointments used to treat and soothe injuries. They are usually applied to bruises, painful areas and aching muscles. An overdose occurs when too much cream is used, accidentally or intentionally, and the athlete becomes poisoned. It may also occur if the medicine is applied to the eyes or swallowed.

What is in Sports Creams?

Almost all sports creams will contain menthol or methyl-salicylate, both of which can be poisonous in large doses. Salicylates ease pain and reduce swelling, and menthol is a counterirritant which eases the pain and distracts the athlete’s attention from the injury. Sports creams may also contain capsaicin substances, which contain chilli and produce a hot, tingling sensation.

What are the Effects of a Sports Cream Overdose?

In very rare cases sports cream overdoses can be fatal as a result of kidney failure. However, symptoms are usually more mild and depend on the scale of the overdose. The most common symptoms are weakness, dizziness, nausea, high temperature, a change in breathing pattern and blurred vision. More serious symptoms can include fainting, vomiting blood, inflammation of the throat and convulsions. You may also experience ringing in your ears, a rash and hallucinations.

Treating a Sports Cream Overdose

In serious cases the patient will need to be taken to hospital, and emergency care will be required if they have lost consciousness or collapsed. If the cream has been taken orally the patient needs to drink a lot of water, but should not be encouraged to throw up. If a lot of cream has been ingested the patient may need their stomach pumped. Any cream that remains on the skin should be removed, and if cream has got into the eyes they should be washed out with water. The quicker treatment can be administered the more effective it will be.