JSF People,

Am looking for some rational opinions from some of the regulars here who routinely patronize public gyms and/or weight rooms.

Do any of you have any particular concerns about MRSA ( Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, AKA 'staph') infections coming from your activities at your gym?

Having done a search of the forum threads I found one thread that to me contained far too posts when one considers the potential problems associated with an MRSA infection.

In fact, zenpharos even chimed in that he too had been subject to MRSA.

So I ask you all, what are the risks/odds of getting an MRSA infection at a public gym and what are the best ways to mitigate such infections?

Thank you,

~B

I just wash my hands before leaving the gym. Don't worry so much about it.

I just wash my hands before leaving the gym. Don't worry so much about it.

Yeah, I don't worry about it either -- I wash my hands immediately after I finish working out......

Nope - I lift at home. I'm more worried of my wife bringing it home, she's a nurse.

MRSA is no fun, and if you get it you need medical attention soon or else it can get worse.

Washing frequently reduces the risk of exposure.

Breaks in the skin (do you scrape your shins when you deadlift?) are a big risk.

I'm concerned about it and strive to keep from touching my mouth or eyes until I'm done working out and have had a chance to wash my hands. I keep any cuts or wounds covered with clothing, bandage, or both.

From a WebMD article on MRSA prevention (http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/understanding-mrsa-prevention):

According to the CDC, here are some of the best ways to prevent MRSA.


Wash your hands. Use soap and water or an alcohol-base hand sanitizer. Also, wash thoroughly. Experts suggest that you wash your hands for as long as it takes you to recite the alphabet.
Cover cuts and scrapes with a clean bandage. This will help the wound heal. It will also prevent you from spreading bacteria to other people.
Do not touch other people's wounds or bandages.


Do not share personal items like towels or razors. If you use any shared gym equipment, wipe it down before and after you use it. Drying clothes, sheets, and towels in a dryer -- rather than letting them air dry -- helps kill bacteria.

So it's a concern and I'm taking steps to keep myself safe. I'm not living in a bubble 'cause of it, though. My father got it on his thigh this past Christmas and it cleared up after several courses of more powerful antibiotics. Still scary.

From a WebMD article on MRSA prevention (http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/understanding-mrsa-prevention):




So basically, demonstrate good gym etiquette. :lol:

I'm *way* more concerned about catching it at work, since I spend more time there and get more cuts and injuries at work than in the gym. I work with the germy public.;)

I also refrain from touching my eyes or the rest of my face when I'm working out.:nod: All of a sudden my eyes and nose get pretty itchy! And then I wash my hands after. But I wash my hands an awful lot anyway and carry hand sanitizer.

MRSA is a bacteria with a special antibiotic resistance profile. My question here is, What infections are you guys talking about? - soft tissue (abscess, cellulitis), pneumonia, endocarditis, etc??

I am not. But I do stay away from hospitals and hate every minute in a waiting room at the doctor's office. But I really don't take special precautions and leave things to my body's resources to work as it has in the past.

There are so many things out there to get you. Right now, MRSA has the headlines but just try to think back to the last Disease of the day - did you get it? Did anyone you know get it. Could you have stopped it?

If you got it. would you blame gym or the 1000 other places and things you do. Do you wash hands 200 times a day? Do you watch Monk on USA network and think you want to be like him?

It has crossed my mind as my gym is a benefit for workers at the university hospital so a lot of the people there work in the hospital. The gym has set up alcohol hand wash stations and a lot of people use them so hopefully that helps. I've thought about it but it isn't something that is going to keep me out of the gym.

....... I really don't take special precautions and leave things to my body's resources to work as it has in the past.

There are so many things out there to get you. Right now, MRSA has the headlines but just try to think back to the last Disease of the day - did you get it? Did anyone you know get it. Could you have stopped it?

If you got it. would you blame gym or the 1000 other places and things you do. Do you wash hands 200 times a day? Do you watch Monk on USA network and think you want to be like him?
QFT.
In all honesty, I'm more worried about catching aids from the water fountain.:rolleyes:

I've started doing a lot of grappling and MMA lately so I am a little concerned, but at the same time I'm not going to worry about it too much. I will probably get it at some point and I'll just worry about it then.

No....I'd be more concerned about catching a load of B.S. from the people who frequent the place. (Present company excluded).

I'm not worried. I'd guess odds are low, as I've heard of this, yet don't know one person whose gotten it. I generally feel it's better to just live your life and not worry about this kind of stuff too much instead of spending all my time worrying about it and probably catching something anyway.

MRSA is a bacteria with a special antibiotic resistance profile. My question here is, What infections are you guys talking about? - soft tissue (abscess, cellulitis), pneumonia, endocarditis, etc??

All those are possible, however CA(community acquired)-MRSA often takes the form of a skin infection.

If you wipe down your equipment and wash your hands regularly your risk isn't that high. The risk is higher in school, where students are in close contact, the locker rooms may not be that clean, and adolescent hygiene habits are suboptimal. Also college dorms are good for breeding and transmitting bugs, for many of the same reasons.

I'm hazarding a guess that the use of alcohol based hand sanitisers compounds the problem... surely? By over-sanitising I think we're more likely to establish environments where only resistant bacteria can survive, and then we have to scramble to find something to kill them with, and we eliminate the bacteria populations that are naturally present on our skin (and on other surfaces) providing greater opportunity for scary-resistant-bacteria.
That being the case, I think careful hand washing is likely the best method for avoiding bacterial infections.

JMHO. :)