Heat Stress in Wheelchair Sports

Heat Stress During Wheelchair Rugby and Basketball

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.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Body Temperature Changes; Heat Stress

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.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 16

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Claudio Perret, PD Dr.; Phone Number: +41419396621; Email: claudio.perret@paraplegie.ch
• Study Contact Backup: Name: Fabian Grossmann; Phone Number: +41419396615; Email: fabian.grossmann@paraplegie.ch

Study Locations

• Switzerland
  • Lucerne
    • Nottwil, Lucerne, Switzerland, 6207
      • Swiss Paraplegic Centre

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 60 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

• Sampling Method: Probability Sample

Study Population

well trained spinal cord injured wheelchair rugby and basketball players

Description

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

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Observational Models: Other
• Time Perspectives: Prospective

Number of groups / cohorts

2

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
wheelchair rugby players; well-trained spinal cord injured wheelchair rugby players
wheelchair basketball players; well-trained spinal cord injured wheelchair basketball players

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in body core temperature	recording body core temperature with an electronic capsule from the beginning to the end of a rugby or basketball game	from 0 minutes to 32 minutes (cohort 1) or 48 minutes (cohort 2)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in heart rate	heart rate from the beginning to the end of a rugby or basketball game	from 0 minutes to 32 minutes (cohort 1) or 48 minutes (cohort 2)
covered distance	covered distance (meters) during a rugby or basketball game	32 minutes (cohort 1) or 48 minutes (cohort 2)
Change in body weight	difference in weight (kg) from before to after the game due to sweating and convection	32 minutes (cohort 1) or 48 minutes (cohort 2)

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Swiss Paraplegic Centre Nottwil
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Claudio Perret, PD Dr., Swiss Paraplegic Centre, Guido A. Zäch Strasse 1, CH-6207 Nottwil

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): November 1, 2018
• Primary Completion (Actual): August 31, 2022
• Study Completion (Actual): August 31, 2022

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: December 10, 2018
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 23, 2019
• First Posted (Actual): January 24, 2019

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 13, 2023
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 10, 2023
• Last Verified: March 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Wounds and Injuries; Body Temperature Changes; Heat Stress Disorders
• Other Study ID Numbers: 2018-24

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No