cracklover
Nov 18, 2006, 7:40 PM
Views: 3508
Registered: Nov 14, 2002
Posts: 10162
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Wow, Megan! Thanks for the heads up, and also I'm glad to hear you found out what it was, and are better now!
As for whether gyms are a likely source of contamination, I'd say that yes, they probably are, but perhaps less so than some other sports, depending on what you do at the gym.
Here's what I mean: you're probably most likely to get the infection if you have a piece of contaminated equipment touching your skin for a prolonged period of time, where it's likely your skin will be slightly abraded by the equipment, and also will get sweaty at the contact point. A rented harness could be a good example of this, at least if the user has low-riding hip-hugging pants and a shirt that's not tucked in under the waist belt of the harness, or short shorts (ack!)
However, a climbing hold, while it's probably covered with bacteria, is probably a poor carrier, because the skin on the hands is quite thick, and not easily susceptible to penetration (that's why you don't get poison ivy on the front of your hands), nor would you have prolonged sweaty rubbing contact with a climbing hold, like you would with an article of clothing, or the water in a whirlpool.
In short, I suspect it *could* be contracted that way, but I highly doubt that you put anyone at the gym at a high risk of infection while you had it, unless you rented a harness or shoes. Just my opinion, but I hope it sets your mind at ease a little!
Again, thanks for the heads up! It was a good idea anyway, with cold and flu season coming, but I'll definitely be washing my hands more at the gym now!
GO
(This post was edited by cracklover on Nov 18, 2006, 7:42 PM)
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