ABC of Sports Medicine: Temperature and Performance I: Cold

Environmental temperature may cause problems through being either too cold or too hot; and the effects may be general, local, or secondary.These effects range from impairment of performance through injury or illness to possible death, either directly or indirectly.The effects of extreme cold in sport are more prevalent than are the results of extreme heat.For instance, for most sports in the world one of the numerically greatest hazards of cold is torn muscles or tendons.Hypothermia is also more common in Britain than is heatstroke.At milder degrees, cold can result in illness, injury, and death, whereas heat generally merely affects performance.