Effects of cooling before and during simulated match play on thermoregulatory responses of athletes with tetraplegia

Objectives Athletes with high level spinal cord injuries (tetraplegia) are under greater thermal strain during exercise than the able-bodied. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of pre-cooling using an ice vest and the combination of pre-cooling and cooling during play using water sprays in athletes with tetraplegia. Design Counter-balanced, cross-over design. Methods Eight wheelchair rugby players with tetraplegia completed a 60 min intermittent sprint protocol (ISP) on a wheelchair ergometer in 20.2 °C ± 0.2 °C and 33.0% ± 3.1% relative humidity. The ISP was conducted on three occasions; no cooling (NC), pre-cooling with an ice vest (P) and pre-cooling with an ice vest and water sprays between quarters (PW). Gastrointestinal (Tgi) temperature, mean skin temperature (Tsk) and perceptual responses were measured throughout. Results At the end of pre-cooling, the change in Tgi was not significantly different between conditions (P > 0.05) but the change in Tsk was significantly greater in P and PW compared to NC (P < 0.001). The change in Tgi over the ISP was significantly lower in PW and P compared to NC (P < 0.05), whilst the change in Tsk was lower in PW compared to P and NC (P < 0.05). Cooling had no effect on performance or perceptual responses (P > 0.05). Conclusions Water spraying between quarters combined with pre-cooling using an ice vest lowers thermal strain to a greater degree than pre-cooling only in athletes with tetraplegia, but has no effect on simulated wheelchair rugby performance or perceptual responses.