Cold-Water Immersion for Hyperthermic Humans Wearing American Football Uniforms
Miller KC, Swartz EE, Long BC
Journal of athletic training · 18 citations
Review labels
Neutral facts our review recorded about how this study was done. They describe method, never whether we like the result.
How it was studied
- Design
- Controlled clinical trial (classified by our AI screen)
- Studied in
- People
- Main outcome
- Health markers and function
Who paid for it
- Funding
- Funding not disclosed
Publication
- Published
- 2015-06-19 · J Athl Train · vol. 50 · issue 8 · pp. 792–799
- Publisher
- National Athletic Trainers' Association
- Cited
- 25 citations · more than 82% of similar papers · 1.6× the field average
- References
- 45 works
- Access
- Open access (repository copy)
- Research areas
- Thermoregulation and physiological responses · Exercise and Physiological Responses · Sports injuries and prevention
- Keywords
- SOCKS, Skin temperature, Medicine, Crossover study, Crew, Football, Football players, Immersion (mathematics), Aeronautics, Materials science, Mathematics, Engineering, Biomedical engineering, Composite material
- MeSH
- humans, heat stroke, fever, water, body temperature, exercise, cryotherapy, cross-over studies, immersion, body temperature regulation, skin temperature, football, clothing, united states, male, cold temperature, hot temperature, young adult
3 authors
From US
- Kevin Charles MillerCentral Michigan University
- Erik E. SwartzUniversity of New Hampshire
- Blaine C. LongCentral Michigan University
Abstract
Context
Current treatment recommendations for American football players with exertional heatstroke are to remove clothing and equipment and immerse the body in cold water. It is unknown if wearing a full American football uniform during cold-water immersion (CWI) impairs rectal temperature (Trec) cooling or exacerbates hypothermic afterdrop.
Objective
To determine the time to cool Trec from 39.5°C to 38.0°C while participants wore a full American football uniform or control uniform during CWI and to determine the uniform's effect on Trec recovery postimmersion.
Design
Crossover study.
Setting
Laboratory.
Patients or other participants
A total of 18 hydrated, physically active, unacclimated men (age = 22 ± 3 years, height = 178.8 ± 6.8 cm, mass = 82.3 ± 12.6 kg, body fat = 13% ± 4%, body surface area = 2.0 ± 0.2 m(2)).
Intervention(s)
Participants wore the control uniform (undergarments, shorts, crew socks, tennis shoes) or full uniform (control plus T-shirt; tennis shoes; jersey; game pants; padding over knees, thighs, and tailbone; helmet; and shoulder pads). They exercised (temperature approximately 40°C, relative humidity approximately 35%) until Trec reached 39.5°C. They removed their T-shirts and shoes and were then immersed in water (approximately 10°C) while wearing each uniform configuration; time to cool Trec to 38.0°C (in minutes) was recorded. We measured Trec (°C) every 5 minutes for 30 minutes after immersion.
Main outcome measure(s)
Time to cool from 39.5°C to 38.0°C and Trec.
Results
The Trec cooled to 38.0°C in 6.19 ± 2.02 minutes in full uniform and 8.49 ± 4.78 minutes in control uniform (t17 = -2.1, P = .03; effect size = 0.48) corresponding to cooling rates of 0.28°C·min(-1) ± 0.12°C·min(-1) in full uniform and 0.23°C·min(-1) ± 0.11°C·min(-1) in control uniform (t17 = 1.6, P = .07, effect size = 0.44). The Trec postimmersion recovery did not differ between conditions over time (F1,17 = 0.6, P = .59).
Conclusions
We speculate that higher skin temperatures before CWI, less shivering, and greater conductive cooling explained the faster cooling in full uniform. Cooling rates were considered ideal when the full uniform was worn during CWI, and wearing the full uniform did not cause a greater postimmersion hypothermic afterdrop. Clinicians may immerse football athletes with hyperthermia wearing a full uniform without concern for negatively affecting body-core cooling.
Abstract via Europe PMC. Copyright remains with the authors or publisher.
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