Local ice-bag application and triceps surae muscle temperature during treadmill walking.
BACKGROUND
Ice bags "to go" are a common practice in athletic training.


OBJECTIVE
To determine the effect of submaximal exercise on tissue temperatures during a common ice-bag application.


METHODS
2 X 5 fully repeated-measures design with treatment (cooling while resting, cooling while walking) and time (pretreatment, immediately after ice application, and at 10, 20, and 30 minutes during treatment) as the independent variables.


METHODS
Laboratory setting.


METHODS
Sixteen healthy, physically active volunteers (age = 21.63 +/- 2.63 yrs, height = 68.97 +/- 4.00 cm, mass = 80.97 +/- 18.18 kg, calf skinfold = 21.1 +/- 9.3 mm).


METHODS
Left triceps surae intramuscular and skin temperatures, as measured by thermocouples to the nearest 0.1 degrees C, served as dependent measures.


METHODS
After collecting baseline temperatures, we secured a 1.0-kg ice bag to the calf using plastic wrap before the subject either rested prone or walked on a treadmill at 4.5 km/h for 30 minutes.


RESULTS
Treatment did not (P < 0.10) affect the approximately 15 degrees C (P < 0.0001) surface temperature decrease, which remained depressed immediately upon ice-bag application (P < 0.05). Conversely, intramuscular temperature continually cooled (34 to 28 degrees C), while subjects rested (P < 0.0001), whereas no change took place during walking (P = 0.49). Moreover, at the 20- and 30-minute treatment intervals, the resting intramuscular temperatures were, respectively, 3.9 degrees C and 5.4 degrees C cooler than the walking intramuscular temperatures (P < 0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
The current trend of wrapping "to go" ice bags to the leg is not likely to achieve deep tissue cooling despite surface temperature decreases.
Bender
Andrea L
AL
Elon University, NC, USA.
Kramer
Erin E
EE
Brucker
Jody B
JB
Demchak
Timothy J
TJ
Cordova
Mitchell L
ML
Stone
Marcus B
MB