Local cold acclimation during exercise and its effect on neuromuscular function of the hand

Abstract

Most acclimation research is performed on resting individuals, whereas in real life, cold exposure is often accompanied by physical activity. We examined the effects of 2 weeks of repeated cold exposure of the hand with or without an elevated core temperature from exercise on neuromuscular function of the first dorsal interosseus (FDI) muscle and manual performance of the hand. The experimental group (4 female, 6 male; age, 25.1 +/- 6.9 y) cooled their hands in 8 degrees C water for 30 min daily while cycling (50% of heart rate reserve); the control group (4 female, 4 male; age, 25.1 +/- 5.7 y) remained still. Manual function testing consisted of tactile sensitivity, grip strength, manual dexterity, and evoked twitch force in a custom-made myograph. Thermal sensation, skin temperature of index finger (Tif) and hand (Tfdi), as well as rectal temperature (Tre), were recorded daily. Tre increased significantly during bicycling, by 0.6 +/- 0.2 degrees C. Minimal Tif and Tfdi of the groups combined increased significantly during exposure days from 8.7 +/- 0.7 degrees C and 12.4 +/- 2.8 degrees C to 10.1 +/- 1.3 degrees C and 15.0 +/- 3.0 degrees C, respectively (p=0.04), with no significant difference between groups. Thermal ratings improved significantly on exposure days. Manual function was impaired with cooling, but with no significant difference between groups or across time. Deterioration of twitch characteristics with cooling did not change with repeated cold exposure. Although the increasing core temperature during cold water immersion changed the acute temperature response and thermal ratings, it had no effect on local cold acclimation or manual function.