Head and neck cooling enhance exercise tolerance in individuals with multiple sclerosis.

BACKGROUND

Individuals with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) experience impairments in heat dissipation, compromising core temperature regulation during exercise.

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.

METHODS

On separate days, ten (7 females) adults (46.1 ± 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 °C, 50 % relative humidity) while undergoing head-and-neck cooling using a cooling cap and neck wrap maintained at 10 °C (COLD) or 24-26 °C (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.

RESULTS

The duration of the incremental exercise test increased with the application of COLD (28.4 ± 5.1 min) versus NEUTRAL water (vs 20.8 ± 5.1 min) (p = 0.001) and was paralleled by a significant reduction in body temperatures (∼1 °C, p < 0.05). The distance covered during the 2-min walk test performed after the incremental exercise test increased with the COLD (176.5 ± 0.6 m), relative to the NEUTRAL condition (147.7 ± 43.5 m) (p = 0.01). Fatigue levels did not change between conditions.

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.