Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 5, 2026
08:21
Non-invasive Assessments of Subjective and Objective Recovery Characteristics Following an Exhaustive Jump Protocol
Published on: June 8, 2017
Cooling via one hand improves physical performance in heat-sensitive individuals with multiple sclerosis: a
Dennis A Grahn1, Julie Vls Murray, H Craig Heller
1Department of Biological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA. dagrahn@Stanford.edu
BMC Neurology
|May 14, 2008
Summary
Cooling the hands can significantly improve exercise duration for individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) by reducing heat stress. This simple intervention enhances physical performance in MS patients sensitive to heat.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Exercise Physiology
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Multiple Sclerosis (MS) often causes symptom exacerbation with increased body temperature, limiting physical activity.
- Heat stress from ambient conditions or exercise can transiently worsen MS symptoms.
- Targeting heat dissipation through specialized hand cooling may mitigate these effects.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if cooling the palmar surfaces of the hands can reduce exercise-related heat stress in MS patients.
- To determine if this cooling method can increase physical performance capacity in heat-sensitive MS individuals.
Main Methods:
- Ten ambulatory MS patients underwent randomized trials of treadmill walking.
- A cooling device applied subatmospheric pressure and maintained a cool surface (18-22°C) to the palm of one hand.
- Exercise duration was measured until symptom exacerbation or fatigue, with and without the cooling treatment.
Main Results:
- Cooling treatment significantly increased exercise duration by 33% (43.6 min vs. 32.8 min, p < 5.0x10^-6).
- Individual subject analysis showed a 35% increase in exercise duration with cooling (42.8 min vs. 31.7 min, p < 0.003).
- The cooling method was well-tolerated, allowing subjects to maintain hand placement without bearing weight.
Conclusions:
- Hand cooling effectively utilizes heat transfer capacity of non-hairy skin surfaces.
- This method shows potential for MS patients to extend physical activity participation under heat stress.
- Further longitudinal studies in larger, diverse MS cohorts are warranted to confirm findings.
Related Concept Videos
02:45Responses to Heat and Cold Stress
Every organism has an optimum temperature range within which healthy growth and physiological functioning can occur. At the ends of this range, there will be a minimum and maximum temperature that interrupt biological processes.
01:29Decreased Body Temperature
A decreased body temperature can occur in patients with hypothermia and frostbite. Heat loss with extended cold exposure overpowers the body's ability to create heat, resulting in hypothermia. Core temperature readings help classify hypothermia. Mild hypothermia is temperatures between 32 °C (89.6 °F) and 35°C (95 °F) and is caused by impaired thermoregulation. Moderate hypothermia is temperatures between 28 C (82.4 °F) and 32 °C (89.6 °F) caused by sustained extreme cold exposure, and severe...
01:14Assessing Body Temperature - Axilla
Procedural Guide for Assessing Axillary Body Temperature using a Digital Thermometer:
Step 1: Perform hand hygiene and put on clean gloves to maintain infection control and prevent cross-contamination.
Step 2: Prepare the patient by explaining the procedure to ensure understanding and cooperation. Ensure privacy, expose the axilla, and inform the patient that minimal movement is crucial for an accurate reading.
Step 3: Adjust the patient’s clothing to expose only the axilla. It minimizes...
Step 1: Perform hand hygiene and put on clean gloves to maintain infection control and prevent cross-contamination.
Step 2: Prepare the patient by explaining the procedure to ensure understanding and cooperation. Ensure privacy, expose the axilla, and inform the patient that minimal movement is crucial for an accurate reading.
Step 3: Adjust the patient’s clothing to expose only the axilla. It minimizes...
01:09Thermal Stress
If the temperature of an object is changed while it is prevented from expanding or contracting, the object is subjected to stress. The stress is compressive if the object expands in the absence of constraint and tensile if it contracts. This stress resulting from temperature change is known as thermal stress. It can be quite large and can cause damage. To avoid this stress, engineers may design components so they can expand and contract freely. For instance, on highways, gaps are deliberately...
01:28Factors Affecting Body Temperature
As a nurse, it is vital to understand the factors affecting body temperature to monitor variations and effectively evaluate deviations from regular.
Factors may include:
Factors may include:
01:25Increased Body Temperature
A body temperature above 38°C (100.4 °F) is known as fever or pyrexia, and a person with fever is termed 'febrile.' Typically, the hypothalamus, a part of the brain that acts as the body's thermostat, regulates body temperature through a thermoregulatory setpoint. It receives signals from cold and warm thermal receptors throughout the body and adjusts the body's temperature accordingly. Fever occurs when this hypothalamic setpoint is altered, usually in response to an infection or illness.