28 NAQI FOUNDATION
CAN YOU BEAT THE COLD? Winter is coming, and so are the winter sports. Ice skating, skiing, ski jumping, and ice hockey are popular sports. Plus, there are several more extreme cold sports, like running the ice marathon. But is the cold weather a threat to the body? Can athletes train their bodies to better cope with the cold? Daanen, Koedam, & Cheung investigated the trainability of the foot and fingers against cold temperatures. They tested 16 participants with a 30-minute immersion of the fingers and a foot in cold water (8°C). The temperature of the foot and fingers will decrease and the expectation is that the extremities show a cold-induced vasodilatation (CIVD). This means that the body shows a response to the cold in the form of vasodilatation, which induces a higher temperature. However, they found a different response in the foot and fingers. The foot showed a slight increase in temperature due to CIVD, which is a moderate effect. The fingers, however, showed a decrease of temperature, thus a lack of CIVD. This is an unwanted adaptation and can pose risks. The researchers state: “The risk for cold injuries may increase in trained fingers, partially because pain sensation gradually decreases, so that the warning system becomes less alert.” So, there is an increased chance for cold injuries, such as tissue damage, and the sensitivity of the fingers decreases as the temperature decreases, which can be problematic if the athlete’s performance depends on it. This is not desirable, so athletes should prepare themselves.
Tim Laagland MAGAZINE BOARD MEMBER
I CARE ISSUE - ISSUE 3 - 2016
