title: Cold Water Mediates Greater Reductions in Limb Blood Flow than Whole Body Cryotherapy.
abstract: Cold-water immersion (CWI) and whole body cryotherapy (WBC) are widely used recovery methods in an attempt to limit exercise-induced muscle damage, soreness, and functional deficits after strenuous exercise. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of ecologically valid CWI and WBC protocols on postexercise lower limb thermoregulatory, femoral artery, and cutaneous blood flow responses.
  
  
  
  Ten males completed a continuous cycle exercise protocol at 70% maximal oxygen uptake until a rectal temperature of 38°C was attained. Participants were then exposed to lower-body CWI (8°C) for 10 min, or WBC (-110°C) for 2 min, in a randomized crossover design. Rectal and thigh skin, deep, and superficial muscle temperatures, thigh, and calf skin blood flow (laser Doppler flowmetry), superficial femoral artery blood flow (duplex ultrasound), and arterial blood pressure were measured before, and for 40 min post, cooling interventions.
  
  
  
  Greater reductions in thigh skin (CWI, -5.9°C ± 1.8°C; WBC, 0.2°C ± 0.5°C; P < 0.001) and superficial (CWI, -4.4°C ± 1.3°C; WBC, -1.8°C ± 1.1°C; P < 0.001) and deep (CWI, -2.9°C ± 0.8°C; WBC, -1.3°C ± 0.6°C; P < 0.001) muscle temperatures occurred immediately after CWI. Decreases in femoral artery conductance were greater after CWI (CWI, -84% ± 11%; WBC, -59% ± 21%, P < 0.02) and thigh (CWI, -80% ± 5%; WBC, -59% ± 14%, P < 0.001), and calf (CWI, -73% ± 13%; WBC, -45% ± 17%, P < 0.001) cutaneous vasoconstriction was greater after CWI. Reductions in rectal temperature were similar between conditions after cooling (CWI, -0.6°C ± 0.4°C; WBC, -0.6°C ± 0.3°C; P = 0.98).
  
  
  
  Greater reductions in blood flow and tissue temperature were observed after CWI in comparison with WBC. These novel findings have practical and clinical implications for the use of cooling in the recovery from exercise and injury.
authors.affiliation: 1Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UNITED KINGDOM; 2School of Sport Science, Exercise and Health, The University of Western Australia, Perth, AUSTRALIA; and 3Extreme Environments Laboratory, Department of Sport and Exercise Science, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UNITED KINGDOM.
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mawhinney
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Low
authors.forename: Helen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: Daniel J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Green
authors.forename: Joseph T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Costello
authors.forename: Warren
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Gregson
mesh_terms: D001642:Bicycling / Q000502:physiology*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D001831:Body Temperature / Q000502:physiology; D001833:Body Temperature Regulation / Q000502:physiology*; D003080:Cold Temperature; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D017679:Cryotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D005263:Femoral Artery / Q000502:physiology; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007101:Immersion; D035002:Lower Extremity / Q000098:blood supply*; D008297:Male; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000502:physiology; D012007:Rectum / Q000502:physiology; D012039:Regional Blood Flow; D012867:Skin / Q000098:blood supply; D012881:Skin Temperature / Q000502:physiology; D014661:Vasoconstriction / Q000502:physiology; D014867:Water; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D014867:Water