Predictive Ability of Body Fat Percentage and Thigh Anthropometrics on Tissue Cooling During Cold-Water Immersion

Abstract

Context: Cold water immersion (CWI) is a common aid in exercise recovery. CWI effectiveness depends on the magnitude of muscle and core cooling. Individual cooling responses to CWI are variable and likely influenced by CWI dose and individual physiological characteristics. Objective: Evaluate body fat percentage and thigh anthropometrics as predictors of intramuscular and skin cooling responses to CWI. Design: Interrupted time-series. Setting: Sports medicine research center. Participants: Sixteen young adults (8 male, 8 female, age=24.3±1.84 years, height=176.4±12.7 cm, mass=86.6±29.4 kg). Intervention: Body fat percentage was measured using a three site skinfold. Thigh length, thigh circumference, anterior thigh adipose thickness, anterior thigh muscle thickness, and thigh volume were estimated using manual and ultrasound methods. Using sterile techniques, thermocouple probes were approximated in the belly of the rectus femoris (2 cm deep to sub-adipose tissue) and on the anterior mid-thigh surface. Participants cycled on an ergometer for 30 minutes at a target heart rate between 130 and 150 beats per minute. Post-exercise, participants were placed in CWI (immersion depth: iliac crest; 10°C) until intramuscular temperature was 7°C below pre-exercise baseline temperature, with a maximum immersion duration of 30 minutes. Main Outcome Measure(s): Intramuscular rectus femoris and thigh skin temperatures measured post exercise, after 10 and 15 minutes of CWI, and post-CWI. Results: Body fat percentage significantly predicted rectus femoris cooling magnitude and rate after 10 minutes of CWI, 15 minutes of CWI, and post-CWI (p <0.001; R2 = 0.58–0.64). Thigh anthropometrics significantly predicted thigh skin cooling rate post-CWI (p = 0.049; R2 = 0.46). Conclusions: A simple three site skinfold assessment may improve the efficacious prescription of CWI through estimation of the dose required for minimal muscle tissue cooling.

Relationship between Intramuscular and Skin Temperature and Anthropometric Consideration for Post-exercise Cryotherapy: Developing Prediction Models for Clinical Use

“…Anterior thigh adipose tissue and muscle thickness were estimated based on the depths of adipose-muscle and musclebone interfaces using BodyMetrix A-Mode ultrasound (InteleMetrix, Livermore, CA, USA). Using thigh length (h), thigh circumference (C T ), and anterior thigh adipose thickness (T) as input variables, total thigh volume was estimated using a series of equations suggested by Tothill and Steward based on geometric principles assuming a circular cross-section as follows [17,20]:…”

“…However, the time to the target cooling temperature is much longer than in other previous trials [10], and the result from the gastrocnemius may not be applicable to determine treatment parameters on other muscles with a greater volume (e.g., rectus femoris) due to multiple factors of heat transfer and thermogenesis. Further, a prior study regarding the predictive ability of anthropometric characteristics, such as including percentage body fat (%BF), thigh length, muscle thickness, total thigh volume, thigh circumference, and adipose tissue thickness, on intramuscular cooling during CWI has not considered the predictive ability of skin cooling rate during CWI, which can be easily utilized in clinical settings [17]. Therefore, the aims of this study were to (1) to examine the relationships among intramuscular cooling rates of the rectus femoris during (IM cooling rate) and after post-exercise CWI (Post-IM cooling rate), skin tissue cooling rate during CWI (skin cooling rate), and anthropometric characteristics, including percentage body fat (%BF), anterior thigh adipose tissue thickness, muscle thickness, total thigh volume, and thigh circumference, and (2) to develop multiple regression models using skin cooling rate and anthropometric factors for predicting IM and Post-IM cooling rates and assisting clinical decision making.…”

“…In this study, the cooling rate was defined as the amount of temperature reduction per minute. Further, these anthropometric characteristics were selected based on a previous study [17], and a skin tissue cooling rate was additionally included in the analysis. We hypothesized that adipose tissue thickness, muscle thickness, %BF, total thigh volume, and thigh circumference will present inverse relationships, and skin cooling rates will display a direct relationship with IM and Post-IM cooling rates.…”