Wrestler's Guide to Ringworm

Imagine this...

You're halfway through the season. You've trained your cardio to perfection, you've entered a flow state every single practice, and your wrestling partner shows up every single practise. Your moves feel so clean, and you're so ready for the next tournament. 

You feel completely unstoppable, a beast of a wrestler.

But then one morning when changing, you notice a small rash on your forearm. You ignore it thinking nothing of it. Yet as the day goes on, it gets unbearably itchy. The rash forms a raised ring with a bullseye in the centre. 

The first thing you have to do is make sure it's actually ringworm and not just eczema. You don't want to put yourself off the mat for no reason. There are certain symptoms you should look for:

• ring-shaped rash

• red

• itchy

• raised, scaly border

If you're unsure, always speak to your general practioner or family doctor. Most walk-in clinics are able to diagnose ringworm as well. You can also book an appointment with Health Services at the University of Waterloo.

Once you're sure its ringworm, stay off the mat. You don't want to come to practise and start infecting all of your teammates. Ringworm is incredibly contagious so you want to make sure there are no traces of ringworm on you before you get back on the mat. If you're unsure, ask your coach or your family doctor when you can get back onto the mat.

For the rash itself, do these two things:

1. Apply antifungal medication to the area the moment you see symptoms.

2. DO NOT scratch the infection to avoid spreading it.

Your skin flakes are also contagious. When you scratch your skin, it comes off and becomes a biohazard for other people. It also damages your skin when you scratch - slowing down the healing process.

Once you start your treatment, you'll probably be asking yourself, "when can I come back?" Well, the short answer is:
"once it's better." However, the long answer is: "it depends on the type of ringworm."

Depending on your treatment, you can come back as quickly as 72 hours or 14 days depending on the location of the infection. Unless you have something really big and nasty on your body, it will usually take 3-4 days for the symptoms to go away and then another 3-4 days for the rash to go away completely.

If you and your partner are comfortable, and you are sure that the site of infection is completely healed, you can can come back within 72 hours and cover the ringworm.

For scalp ringworm, try to stay off the mat for the maximum amount of time (14 days) to be sure. 

As mentioned before, ringworm is really contagious. Generally, you want avoid people who have ringworm, and touching infected surfaces. 

How is ringworm spread?

• Person to Person: Direct skin contact

• Object to Person: Fungus can survive on wrestling mats if not cleaned you can also get it by sharing

  • towels, gear, shoes, clothes etc

Here are some tips that most wrestlers follow to prevent ringworm:

• Avoid sharing personal items. (Towels, clothes, lotion etc)

• Keep skin dry.

• Disinfect surfaces. (Mats, gear, dummies etc)

• Wear protective clothing. (Long sleeves)

But there is one thing that you can do that can always prevent ringworm - and I'll hold your hand for any engineering or CS students  when I say this ...

Now dealing with ringworm isn't that complicated, huh? Now, use this new found knowledge to beat up some kids on the mat without using bio-warfare. If you ever feel lost, please feel free to reach out to any of our coaches or executive members - we are always happy to support you while you're dealing with your symptoms.