Effect of Forearm Warming Compared to Hand Warming for Cold Intolerance Following Upper Extremity Trauma

Area of Science:

• Orthopedics
• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Therapeutic Interventions

Background:

• Cold intolerance is a common symptom following hand trauma.
• Assessing physiological responses to cold is crucial for managing symptoms.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of forearm or hand warming in improving cold-induced symptoms and skin temperatures in hand trauma patients.
• To compare warming interventions against bare-hand conditions.

Main Methods:

• A study involving 18 participants (9 hand trauma patients, 9 controls) in a climate laboratory.
• Continuous temperature monitoring and self-report symptom assessments (thermal comfort, pain) were conducted.
• Testing included bare hand, hand warming, and forearm warming conditions.

Main Results:

• Hand trauma patients exhibited lower skin temperatures in injured digits during cold exposure compared to uninjured digits.
• Warming interventions (gloves) significantly increased skin temperatures during cold exposure and after rewarming.
• Participants reported increased comfort and reduced coldness with both hand and forearm warming.

Conclusions:

• Hand trauma patients show variable cold responses, with greater skin temperature changes during cold exposure.
• Glove warming effectively improved cold-induced skin temperature changes in hand trauma patients.
• Continuous temperature monitoring can identify physiological changes related to cold-induced pain and warming efficacy.