Apostolou G, Flouris AD, Kouidi E, Jamurtas AZ, Kenny GP, Kaltsatou A. Head and neck cooling enhance exercise tolerance in individuals with multiple sclerosis. Mult Scler Relat Disord. 2024 Nov;91:105833. doi: 10.1016\/j.msard.2024.105833. Epub 2024 Aug 22. PMID: 39241465.<\/p>\n
Highlights<\/strong><\/p>\n \u2022 Head and neck cooling at 10 \u00b0C significantly increased exercise time in individuals with MS, demonstrating an improvement in exercise tolerance.<\/p>\n \u2022 The cooling intervention led to a substantial reduction in core and skin temperatures, indicating its effectiveness in mitigating thermal strain during exercise in MS patients.<\/p>\n \u2022 The head-and-neck cooling strategy, which effectively increased exercise tolerance and reduced core temperature, could be easily integrated into daily routines for individuals with MS to help mitigate Uthoff’s phenomenon symptoms.<\/p>\n Abstract<\/strong><\/p>\n Background: Individuals with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) experience impairments in heat dissipation, compromising core temperature regulation during exercise.<\/p>\n Objective: To examine the efficacy of combined head-and-neck cooling as administered via a commercially available cooling cap and neck wrap in mitigating increases in core temperature during exercise.<\/p>\n Methods: On separate days, ten (7 females) adults (46.1 \u00b1 11.6 years) with relapsing-remitting MS performed semi-recumbent cycling consisting of an incremental exercise bout to volitional fatigue in a temperate environment (23 \u00b0C, 50 % relative humidity) while undergoing head-and-neck cooling using a cooling cap and neck wrap maintained at 10 \u00b0C (COLD) or 24\u201326 \u00b0C (NEUTRAL). Prior to and following a 30-minute post-exercise recovery, functional capacity was assessed by a battery of tests consisting of a 2-minute walk test, Timed 25-Foot Walk test, sit-to-stand test, and Berg Balance Scale. Core (ingestible pill) and skin temperatures were recorded continuously. The level of fatigue was measured with questionnaires.<\/p>\n Results: The duration of the incremental exercise test increased with the application of COLD (28.4 \u00b1 5.1 min) versus NEUTRAL water (vs 20.8 \u00b1 5.1 min) (p = 0.001) and was paralleled by a significant reduction in body temperatures (\u223c1 \u00b0C, p < 0.05). The distance covered during the 2-min walk test performed after the incremental exercise test increased with the COLD (176.5 \u00b1 0.6 m), relative to the NEUTRAL condition (147.7 \u00b1 43.5 m) (p = 0.01). Fatigue levels did not change between conditions.<\/p>\n Conclusion: We show that head-and-neck cooling with cold water effectively enhances exercise tolerance and mitigates increases in core temperature during exercise in individuals with MS.<\/p>\n Keywords: Cooling, Functional capacity, Thermoregulation, Exercise, Quality of life, Chronic disease<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Full Text Link:<\/p>\n