Thermoregulation During Intermittent Exercise in Athletes With a Spinal-Cord Injury

Purpose: Individuals with a spinal-cord injury have impaired thermoregulatory control due to a loss of sudomotor and vasomotor effectors below the lesion level. Thus, individuals with high-level lesions (tetraplegia) possess greater thermoregulatory impairment than individuals with lower-level lesions (paraplegia). Previous research has not reflected the intermittent nature and modality of wheelchair court sports or replicated typical environmental temperatures. Hence, the purpose of this study was to investigate the thermoregulatory responses of athletes with tetraplegia and paraplegia during an intermittent-sprint protocol (ISP) and recovery in cool conditions. Methods: Sixteen wheelchair athletes, 8 with tetraplegia (TP, body mass 65.2 ± 4.4 kg) and 8 with paraplegia (body mass 68.1 ± 12.3 kg), completed a 60-min ISP in 20.6°C ± 0.1°C, 39.6% ± 0.8% relative humidity on a wheelchair ergometer, followed by 15 min of passive recovery. Core temperature (Tcore) and mean (Tsk) and individual skin temperature...