Heat Stress in Wheelchair Sports

NCT ID: NCT03815708

Last Updated: 2023-03-13

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Total Enrollment: 16 participants
• Study Classification: OBSERVATIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2018-11-01
• Study Completion Date: 2022-08-31

Brief Summary

The aim of the study is to study the thermoregulatory responses under real life conditions, such as during wheelchair rugby and basketball matches. A further goal is to develop and validate a standardised field-based protocol, which induces the same thermoregulatory response as during a wheelchair rugby and basketball match. This knowledge allows to investigate strategies to reduce heat stress and to enhance exercise performance (e.g. pre-cooling) in the future, based on standardised conditions.

Detailed Description

A spinal cord injury leads to several physiological changes and complications, which might influence exercise performance (Perret and Abel, 2016). One major problem is the limited thermoregulation, especially in subjects suffering from a tetraplegia (Griggs et al., 2015; Price et al., 2006). There are only few studies, which investigated the thermoregulatory response during real life conditions in wheelchair athletes such as during a wheelchair rugby match (Griggs et al., 2017). However, to implement strategies to reduce heat stress (e.g. precooling methods) or to determine the influence of heat stress on exercise performance and to determine the effects of specific interventions the following two issues seem to be a prerequisite: First of all, we need to understand, which thermoregulatory response is induced under real life conditions, e.g. by a wheelchair rugby or basketball match. Second, if we want to study the effects of potential interventions, a standardised and reliable study protocol has to be available, which closely mimics match conditions and induces a similar amount of heat stress. Thus, the aim of the study is to measure thermoregulatory and physical performance outcomes during a real life wheelchair rugby and basketball match. A further goal is to develop and validate a standardised field-based protocol, which induces a similar thermoregulatory response as during a wheelchair rugby or basketball match. These knowledge builds the basis for future thermoregulatory studies based on a reliable and standardised field-based testing protocol.

Conditions

Heat Stress; Body Temperature Changes

Study Design

• Observational Model Type: OTHER
• Study Time Perspective: PROSPECTIVE

Study Groups

wheelchair rugby players

well-trained spinal cord injured wheelchair rugby players

No interventions assigned to this group

wheelchair basketball players

well-trained spinal cord injured wheelchair basketball players

No interventions assigned to this group

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Informed consent as documented by signature
• healthy, male or female wheelchair rugby (with tetraplegia) or basketball player (with paraplegia) of national or international level
• regularly taking part in competitions/games
• age between 18 and 60 years

Exclusion Criteria

• asthma
• blood disorders
• actual injury, which impairs performance or other impossibility to exercise to exhaustion
• cardiovascular disease
• gastrointestinal disease, disorder or former surgery concerning the gastrointestinal tract
• not able to swallow a capsule
• less than 40kg of body mass
• MRI during the period of use of the e-Celsius® device

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 60 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

Swiss Paraplegic Research, Nottwil

NETWORK

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Responsibility Role: SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

Claudio Perret, PD Dr.

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Swiss Paraplegic Centre, Guido A. Zäch Strasse 1, CH-6207 Nottwil

Locations

Swiss Paraplegic Centre

Nottwil, Canton of Lucerne, Switzerland

Countries

Switzerland

Other Identifiers

2018-24

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id