Freeman, Jenny

Hayes, Mark

Lowe, Summer

Maxwell, Neil

Renesto, Laura

Young, Matthew

English

University of Brighton Research Portal

Practical	  precooling	  improves	  thermal	  comfort	  during	  exercise	  and	  better	  maintains	  ambulatory	  control	  in	  heat	  sensitive	  individuals	  with	  Multiple	  Sclerosis	  	  Maxwell,	  N.1,	  Young,	  M.1,	  Renesto,	  L.1,	  Lowe,	  S.1,	  Hayes,	  M.1,	  Freeman,	  J.2	  	  1:	  Exercise	  in	  Extreme	  Environments	  Research	  Group,	  University	  of	  Brighton,	  Denton	  Road,	  Eastbourne,	  UK.	  	  2:	  Allied	  Health	  Centre,	  University	  of	  Plymouth,	  Derriford	  Road,	  Plymouth,	  UK.	  	  Introduction:	  Exercise	  has	  been	  used	  as	  a	  rehabilitation	  strategy	  for	  people	  with	  Multiple	  Sclerosis	  (MS),	  but	  the	  associated	  rise	  in	  body	  temperature	  can	  exacerbate	  MS-­‐related	  symptoms,	  precluding	  participation	  that	  may	  impact	  health.	  The	  aim	  of	  this	  study	  was	  to	  evaluate	  the	  efficacy	  of	  wearing	  practical	  cooling	  garments	  prior	  to	  exercise	  on	  thermal	  strain	  and	  comfort	  during	  exercise	  and	  whether	  this	  allowed	  heat	  sensitive	  individuals	  with	  MS	  to	  maintain	  ambulatory	  control	  post	  exercise.	  	  	  Methods:	  Six	  heat	  sensitive	  ambulatory	  individuals	  with	  multiple	  sclerosis	  (4	  females,	  2	  males,	  age	  48.3	  +/-­‐	  9.3	  years,	  expanded	  disability	  status	  scale,	  4.3	  +/-­‐	  1.0)	  completed	  a	  5	  min	  self-­‐paced	  warm	  up	  and	  20	  min	  fixed	  intensity	  cycling	  at	  50%	  peak	  oxygen	  uptake	  on	  three	  occasions	  in	  an	  environmental	  chamber	  set	  to	  a	  typical	  British	  summer	  climate	  (24.9+/-­‐0.7	  degrees	  C,	  52.0	  +/-­‐	  4.8%	  relative	  humidity).	  	  Exercise	  was	  preceded	  by	  20	  min	  of	  no	  cooling	  (Control),	  precooling	  via	  an	  ice	  vest	  (Vest),	  or	  via	  custom-­‐made	  cooling	  shorts	  (Shorts)	  in	  a	  randomized	  order.	  Tests	  of	  walk	  performance	  (timed	  up-­‐and-­‐go,	  two	  minute	  walk),	  visual	  acuity,	  contrast	  sensitivity	  and	  subjective	  fatigue	  were	  assessed	  pre	  cooling	  and	  post	  exercise.	  	  Results:	  Vest	  and	  Shorts	  precooling	  reduced	  skin	  temperature	  prior	  to	  exercise	  compared	  with	  Control	  and	  this	  continued	  throughout	  exercise	  (Control,	  32.3	  +/-­‐	  0.5	  degrees	  Celsius;	  Vest,	  30.5	  +/-­‐	  0.3	  degrees	  Celsius;	  Shorts,	  30.8	  +/-­‐	  0.9	  degrees	  Celsius,	  P<0.05),	  but	  mean	  exercising	  core	  temperature	  was	  not	  different	  between	  conditions.	  Perceptually,	  cooling	  improved	  thermal	  comfort	  during	  exercise	  compared	  with	  Control	  (Control,	  2.5	  +/-­‐	  0.3;	  Vest,	  1.9	  +/-­‐	  0.3;	  Shorts,	  2.0	  +/-­‐	  0.4,	  P<0.05)	  and	  reduced	  thermal	  sensation	  (Control,	  5.8	  +/-­‐	  0.4;	  Vest,	  5.5	  +/-­‐	  0.3;	  Shorts,	  5.4	  +/-­‐	  0.4,	  P<0.05).	  Precooling	  reduced	  the	  decrement	  in	  the	  timed	  up-­‐and-­‐go	  walk	  performance	  post	  exercise	  (Control,	  2.68	  +/-­‐	  0.79	  s;	  Vest,	  1.97	  +/-­‐	  0.92	  s;	  Shorts,	  2.12	  +/-­‐	  0.33	  s,	  P<0.05),	  but	  did	  not	  ameliorate	  the	  reduction	  on	  post	  exercise	  2	  min	  walk	  distance,	  nor	  alter	  visual	  acuity,	  contrast	  sensitivity,	  subjective	  fatigue,	  or	  sweat	  rate.	  	  Discussion:	  In	  the	  absence	  of	  reductions	  in	  core	  temperature,	  both	  cooling	  garments	  reduced	  skin	  temperature	  and	  perceptual	  markers	  of	  thermal	  strain	  during	  submaximal	  exercise	  under	  modest	  heat	  stress.	  Practical	  cooling	  improves	  thermal	  comfort	  and	  can	  maintain	  ambulatory	  control	  post	  cycling	  that	  may	  encourage	  heat	  sensitive	  individuals	  with	  MS	  to	  participate	  in	  exercise.	  	  	  Contact:	  n.maxwell@brighton.ac.uk	  

Practical precooling improves thermal comfort during exercise and better maintains ambulatory control in heat sensitive individuals with Multiple Sclerosis:European College of Sports Science Annual Congress, Amsterdam

https://cris.brighton.ac.uk/ws/files/24240665/European_College_of_Sports_Science_Annual_Congress_Amsterdam_2014.pdf

Practical precooling improves thermal comfort during exercise and better maintains ambulatory control in heat sensitive individuals with Multiple Sclerosis:European College of Sports Science Annual Congress, Amsterdam

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

University of Brighton Research Portal