ABSTRACT
STUDY DESIGN: Randomized crossover. OBJECTIVES: Effects of body-weight-supported treadmill (BWST) and tilt-table standing (TTS) training on skin temperature and blood flow after spinal cord injury (SCI). SETTING: McMaster University, Canada. METHODS: Seven individuals with SCI participated in BWST and TTS training (3 times per week for 4 weeks, 4-week detraining between protocols). Skin temperature was measured before and after a single session of BWST or TTS, pre- and post-training. Leg blood flow was measured at rest pre- and post-training. RESULTS: Resting skin temperature decreased at four sites after 4 weeks of BWST training in comparison with the pre-training. Four weeks of TTS training resulted in resting skin temperature decreases post-training at the right thigh only. Both BWST and TTS training resulted in altered reactivity of skin temperature at all sites except the right calf in response to a single session of BWST and TTS. Post-BWST training, a single session of BWST stimulated increased temperature at all sites, whereas after TTS training a single session of TTS resulted in temperature decreases at two of the six sites. No changes were observed in resting blood flow with either BWST or TTS training. CONCLUSION: Increased resting skin temperature and decreased skin temperature reactivity have been linked to the development of pressure sores. BWST and TTS may stimulate different skin temperature responses and the impact on pressure sore development warrants further investigation.
Subject(s)
Leg/physiopathology , Paralysis/physiopathology , Pressure Ulcer/physiopathology , Skin Temperature/physiology , Skin/physiopathology , Spinal Cord Injuries/physiopathology , Adult , Body Temperature Regulation/physiology , Cross-Over Studies , Exercise Test/instrumentation , Exercise Test/methods , Female , Humans , Leg/blood supply , Male , Paralysis/etiology , Paralysis/rehabilitation , Pressure Ulcer/prevention & control , Skin/blood supply , Spinal Cord Injuries/complications , Spinal Cord Injuries/rehabilitation , Tilt-Table Test/instrumentation , Tilt-Table Test/methods , Young AdultABSTRACT
AIM: To investigate the effects of cold acclimation on the thermal response and neuromuscular function of the hand. METHODS: Ten healthy subjects [three female, seven male, age (mean +/- SD): 27.9 +/- 7.9 years] immersed their right hand in 8 degrees C water for 30 min, 5 days a week for 3 weeks. On the first and the last day, neuromuscular function of the first dorsal interosseus (FDI) muscle was tested. RESULTS: There was no significant change in maximal voluntary contraction strength or evoked contractile characteristics of the FDI after cold acclimation. Minimum finger temperature decreased significantly from 10.6 +/- 1.2 to 9.3 +/- 0.8 degrees C after 3 weeks (P < 0.01), with most of the decrease occurring after a single exposure. Mean finger temperature dropped significantly from 14.2 +/- 1.9 to 11.7 +/- 1.4 degrees C following cold acclimation (P < 0.05), with 90% of this adaptation occurring after 5 days. Onset time of cold-induced vasodilatation increased from 446 +/- 171 to 736 +/- 384 s (P < 0.05) and the amplitude decreased from 5.3 +/- 3.2 to 2.5 +/- 2.1 degrees C (P < 0.05). This was significantly different from the control group, who immersed their right hand on the first and last days only. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that cold acclimation does not enhance hand temperature or function but may put the hands at a greater risk of cold injury when exposed to the cold.
