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Influence of body heat content on hand function during prolonged cold exposures
A D Flouris1, S S Cheung, J R Fowles
1Environmental Ergonomics Laboratory, School of Health and Human Performance, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada B3H 3J5. aflouris@dal.ca
Journal of Applied Physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985)
|May 20, 2006
Summary
Maintaining hand function in extreme cold is possible by increasing body heat content before or during cold exposure. This strategy preserves neuromuscular function and manual dexterity, crucial for performance in cold environments.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Physiology
- Human Performance in Cold
- Thermoregulation
Background:
- Cold exposure significantly impairs neuromuscular function and manual dexterity.
- Maintaining core and peripheral body temperature is critical for hand function.
- The role of body heat content manipulation in mitigating cold-induced deficits requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the influence of preheating (PHT) and heating throughout (HT) body heat content (H(b)) on hand neuromuscular function and manual dexterity during prolonged cold exposure.
- To compare the effectiveness of different body heat content strategies against a control condition.
- To identify key physiological indicators of hand function during cold exposure.
Main Methods:
- Ten volunteers underwent three passive cold exposures (-20°C) with varying body heat content strategies: preheating (PHT), heating throughout (HT), and control (Con).
- A liquid conditioning garment (LCG) was used for preheating and heating during exposure.
- Measurements included thermal comfort, core/skin temperatures, body heat content changes, and various hand function tests (Purdue pegboard, finger tapping, handgrip, muscle contractions).
Main Results:
- Both PHT and HT significantly maintained thermal comfort, core temperature, skin temperature, and hand neuromuscular function compared to the control.
- Finger temperature and Purdue pegboard test performance remained stable only in the HT condition.
- Changes in body heat content (ΔH(b)) and finger temperature (T(fing)) were significantly associated with hand function over time.
Conclusions:
- Increasing body heat content, either before (PHT) or throughout (HT) cold exposure, effectively preserves hand neuromuscular function and manual dexterity.
- Preheating and continuous heating are superior to no intervention for maintaining hand function in extreme cold.
- Changes in body heat content (ΔH(b)) and finger temperature (T(fing)) are the most reliable indicators of hand function during cold exposure.
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