title: Changes in femoral artery blood flow during thermoneutral, cold, and contrast-water therapy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to examine the changes in femoral artery blood flow during cold water immersion (CWI), contrast water therapy (CWT) and thermoneutral water immersion (TWI).
  
  
  METHODS
  Ten athletes came to the laboratory three times, to complete a 20-min procedure in upright position: 4 min in air (baseline), then 16-min full leg TWI (~35 °C), CWI (~12 °C) or CWT (2:2 ~12 °C to ~35 °C) min ratio, in a random order. Blood flow was measured every 2 min: baseline (i.e. min 3 and 1) and throughout water immersion (i.e. min 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13 and 15), using Doppler ultrasound in the superficial femoral artery, distal to the common bifurcation (~3 cm), above the water and stocking.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared with baseline, blood flow was significantly higher throughout TWI (min 1 to 15: P<0.001; +74.6%), significantly lower during CWI (from min 7 to 15: P<0.05; -16.2%) and did not change during CWT (min 1 to 15). No changes in blood flow occurred between the hot and cold transitions of CWT.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study shows that external hydrostatic pressure (TWI ~35 °C) significantly increases femoral artery blood flow. We also show that associating hydrostatic pressure with cooling (CWI ~12 °C) decreases femoral artery blood flow after a sufficient duration, whereas associating hydrostatic pressure with alternating brief exposures to contrasted temperatures does not change femoral artery blood flow under resting conditions.
authors.affiliation: EA3920 Marqueurs Pronostiques et Facteurs de Régulations des Pathologies Cardiaques et Vasculaires, Plateforme Exercice Performance Santé Innovation, SFR FED 4234, Franche‑Comté University, Besançon, France - arnaud.menetrier@laposte.net.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ménétrier
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Béliard
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ravier
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mourot
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bouhaddi
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Regnard
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tordi
mesh_terms: D001783:Blood Flow Velocity / Q000502:physiology*; D003080:Cold Temperature; D005263:Femoral Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D006874:Hydrostatic Pressure; D006875:Hydrotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D007101:Immersion; D013997:Time Factors; D018608:Ultrasonography, Doppler; D055815:Young Adult