Wrabley Ella R, Lagerquist Britta L, Smith Grace A, Jones Rachel A, McNeilly Madeline M, Buxton Jeffrey D, Gerhart Hayden D, Prins Philip J
Department of Exercise Science, Grove City College, Grove City, PA, USA.
Int J Exerc Sci. 2025 May 1;18(3):415-426. doi: 10.70252/KSSI2281. eCollection 2025.
Cooling glabrous skin sites, such as the palms, can mitigate core body temperature rise and delay fatigue during physical activity, potentially enhancing performance. However, research on palm cooling (PC) in female athletes remains limited, and existing devices are often costly or impractical. This study evaluated the effects of PC using a novel, cost-effective portable device on repeat sprint ability in female collegiate athletes after a fatiguing protocol. Twenty female athletes (age: 20.1±1.4 years; height: 166.7±6.9 cm; mass: 66.6±9.8 kg; BMI: 24.0±3.9 kg/m; body fat: 24.9±4.6%) participated in a randomized crossover study. Sessions included a modified Loughborough Intermittent Shuttle Test (LIST) followed by a 20-meter repeat sprint test. Athletes used either the PC device (7-15°C) during rest intervals or no cooling (NC). Physiological (heart rate, blood lactate), perceptual (RPE, thermal perception, affect), and performance outcomes (number sprints) were recorded. PC resulted in significantly more successful sprints (≥90% of maximum velocity) than NC (10.3±12.9 vs. 6.0±8.4; p=0.025). No significant differences were observed in perceptual or physiological measures (p>0.05). Palm cooling with a portable device improved repeat sprint ability in female athletes, supporting its use as a practical performance optimization strategy. Further research is warranted to investigate underlying mechanisms and applications across different sports and environmental conditions.
冷却无毛皮肤部位，如手掌，可以减轻核心体温上升，并在体育活动期间延缓疲劳，有可能提高运动表现。然而，关于女性运动员手掌冷却（PC）的研究仍然有限，并且现有的设备通常成本高昂或不实用。本研究评估了使用一种新型、经济高效的便携式设备进行手掌冷却对女性大学生运动员在疲劳方案后的重复冲刺能力的影响。20名女性运动员（年龄：20.1±1.4岁；身高：166.7±6.9厘米；体重：66.6±9.8千克；体重指数：24.0±3.9千克/平方米；体脂：24.9±4.6%）参与了一项随机交叉研究。试验包括改良的拉夫堡间歇穿梭试验（LIST），随后是20米重复冲刺试验。运动员在休息期间使用PC设备（7-15°C）或不进行冷却（NC）。记录生理指标（心率、血乳酸）、感知指标（主观用力程度、热感知、情感）和运动表现结果（冲刺次数）。与NC相比，PC导致成功冲刺（≥最大速度的90%）的次数显著更多（10.3±12.9次对6.0±8.4次；p=0.025）。在感知或生理指标方面未观察到显著差异（p>0.05）。使用便携式设备进行手掌冷却提高了女性运动员的重复冲刺能力，支持将其作为一种实用的运动表现优化策略。有必要进行进一步研究以调查其潜在机制以及在不同运动和环境条件下的应用。
