Cryotherapy and Joint Biomechanics During Running

Effects of Cryotherapy on Lower Extremity Joint Biomechanics During Running in Healthy Adults

The purpose of this study is to determine the immediate effects of cryotherapy on the lower extremity biomechanics during running.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Musculoskeletal Injury
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Cryotherapy; Other: Control

Detailed Description

Cryotherapy or cold therapy has widely been used as a treatment modality in both acute and chronic injuries. It is believe that the application of cryotherapy can help to decrease pain, muscle soreness, soft tissue swelling, and cause vasoconstriction of blood vessels reducing heat loss. The nerve conduction velocity and muscle-spindle firing rate also decreases with cryotherapy, which results in changes in proprioception acuity. Cryotherapy has also been used prior to exercise (pre-cooling) to improve endurance activities. However, given the possible detrimental effects of cryotherapy on proprioception acuity, the use of this treatment modality prior to exercise could pose an increased risk of musculoskeletal injury. The effects of cryotherapy on lower extremity biomechanics during athletic movements is poorly understood despite the wide use among physiotherapists, athletic therapists and clinicians. Therefore, the purpose of this investigation is to determine the effects of cold water immersion on lower extremity biomechanics during running. The investigators hypothesize that cryotherapy as a form of treatment can increase the load in the lower extremity joint during gait biomechanics.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 26
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Canada
  • Alberta
    • Calgary, Alberta, Canada, T2N 1N4
      • Human Performance Laboratory, University of Calgary

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 40 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• males or females (18 - 40 yrs)
• no injuries of the lower extremity in the past 6 months prior to participation
• recreationally active
• in good health upon entry into the study
• willing to volunteer for the present project.

Exclusion Criteria:

• lower extremity injury within the last 6 months
• circulatory, vestibular or any contradiction to cryotherapy including Raynaud's disease

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Basic Science
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Cryotherapy; The subjects will be exposed to a cold (~ 12° C) water immersion tub at the umbilical level for 20 minutes.	Other: Cryotherapy; The subjects will be exposed to a cold (~ 12° C) water immersion tub at the umbilical level for 20 minutes.
Placebo Comparator: Control; The subjects will be exposed to a non-cold (~ 26° C) water immersion tub at the umbilical level for 20 minutes.	Other: Control; The subjects will be exposed to a non-cold (~ 26° C) water immersion tub at the umbilical level for 20 minutes.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Knee frontal plane moments	Knee frontal plane loading will be calculated using inverse dynamics based on the ground reaction force data from a force plate and with kinematic data recorded by high speed cameras. Kinematics and kinetics data will be taken during running at 4m/s from each participant prior and after the intervention.	20 minutes

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Calgary

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: November 1, 2012
• Primary Completion (Actual): December 1, 2012
• Study Completion (Actual): January 1, 2013

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: November 20, 2012
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 29, 2012
• First Posted (Estimate): December 4, 2012

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): April 16, 2014
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 15, 2014
• Last Verified: January 1, 2013

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: IS-HPL-01