Effects of cool resistance exercise on oxygen metabolism in muscle tissue and clinical application

Resistance training is beneficial for elite athletes and the elderly, alike. It plays a key role in healthy ageing, helping retain muscle mass, and it can also help reduce the chances of chronic diseases such as osteoporosis and high blood pressure. In order for resistance exercise to be effective, there is an ongoing need for proven techniques that can assist with their resistance training. Professor Masahiro Goto, Director of the Department of Physical Therapy, Aino University, Japan, works to understand the physiological dynamics at play during resistance exercise with a view to developing novel exercise methods and using new technologies to improve resistance exercise outcomes. A brief intramuscular hypoxic state is key to promoting muscle growth and this has therefore been a target for improving resistance techniques, but a challenge arises in terms of monitoring hypoxia. That is why Goto is looking to establish a method that can accurately, quickly and cheaply test the intramuscular oxygenation state during resistance exercise. Recognising the potential of near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), he performed a study on volunteers who have resistance exercise carrier more than one year over eight weeks to find out whether NIRS can be used as an effective measure of internal muscular oxygenation levels and if cold pack treatment of muscles prior to exercise results in better muscle mass gain. He used electromyograms to measure muscle contraction, ultrasound to monitor changes in muscle mass and arterial oxygen saturation measurements to elucidate oxygenation levels. He found that NIRS was effective for routine monitoring of oxygen levels and that cold pack treatment during resistance exercise causes higher muscle activity and creates a more hypoxic muscular environment than without any cold treatment.

Effect of Pre-Exercise Heat Pack Treatment on Markers of Muscle Damage After Resistance Exercise

PURPOSE: This study aimed to investigate the effect of pre-exercise heat pack treatment on muscle activity and markers of muscle damage after exercise-induced damage.METHODS: Ten healthy male university students were tested for 3 weeks. They were exposed to three conditions (non-warm-up exercise, warm-up exercise, and heat pack treatment) before exercise. The experiment was conducted at 1-week intervals for every participant. The warm-up exercise was performed by combining a modified active warm-up with a cycle ergometer and an isokinetic dynamometer. The main exercise, which modified the exercise-induced muscle damage protocol, was conducted by flexing and extending the knee joint using an isokinetic dynamometer. The heat pack treatment before the exercise involved moist heat application for 20 min.RESULTS: The changes in blood muscle fatigue markers and blood muscle damage markers were not significantly different between the groups (α>.05). However, significant differences were observed in the time immediately after exercise, 10-min recovery, 30-min recovery, and 60-min recovery (<i>p</i><.05). A statistically significant difference was observed in the change in pain in the heat pack treatment group (<i>p</i><.05).CONCLUSIONS: Heat pack treatment for 20 min before exercise did not minimize the muscle damage markers and fatigue markers following exercise-induced damage, but reduced immediate muscle soreness. Use of heat pack treatment was associated with a change in muscle activity and improvement in certain aspects of muscle soreness.

Effects of Cryotherapy on Temperature Change in Caudal Thigh Muscles of Dogs

Objective The aim of the study reported here was to determine the effect of cryotherapy on the caudal thigh muscles of dogs. We hypothesized that temperature changes would be greatest in superficial tissues and decrease with tissue depth. Study Design Eight mixed-breed dogs (mean weight 21.2 kg, mean age 3.3 years) were studied. Temperature was measured at the skin surface and at depths of 1.0 and 3.0 cm below the skin using needle thermistor probes that were inserted beneath the site of cold pack application. Treatment consisted of a standard 1.0°C cold pack applied for 20 minutes. Temperature was recorded every minute for the 20 minute cold pack treatment, and for 80 minutes following treatment. Results Cutaneous temperatures significantly decreased (p < 0.01), with rapid rewarming of the skin following cold pack removal. Tissue cooling was less profound with increasing tissue depths, but was still significant (p < 0.05). There was no significant difference in muscle temperature between haired and clipped limbs. Conclusion A single application of a cold pack to the caudal thigh muscles of dogs for 20 minutes resulted in significant temperature reduction at all tissue depths (p < 0.05). This decrease persisted for ∼60 minutes. The presence of hair did not have a significant effect on muscle cooling (p > 0.05).

Immediate Effects of Thai Herbal Hot Pack Treatment on Pain and Lower Back Flexibility: A Pilot Study

Objective: The objective of this pilot study was to investigate immediate effects of Thai herbal hot pack on pain and muscle flexibility in person with chronic low back pain.Material and Method: Twenty-two subjects with low back pain received the Thai herbal hot pack treatment which was heated by microwave oven on lower back for 30 minutes. Subjects were assessed pain and flexibility using visual analog scale and sit and reach test, respectively. Both parameters were measured at baseline and immediately after treatment.Results: The results showed that there were statistically significant difference in pain and flexibility immediately after 30 minutes of using Thai herbal hot pack (p-value<0.001 and p-value<0.050, respectively). The microwave oven-heated Thai herbal hot pack showed positive effect on pain and flexibility. Heat conduction and herbal ingredients of Thai herbal hot pack may be the main reasons that effects on parameters.Conclusion: Thai herbal hot pack may be considered as an alternative treatment for pain relieving and flexibility improving in low back pain patients.

Maintaining Production of Frac-Packed Wells by Inhibiting Scale Buildup and Fines Migration

The forming of scale or the migration and intrusion of formation fines and sand into the proppant pack often drastically diminishes the conductivity of frac-packs and propped fractures which can negatively impact well production. This paper describes the development of a new surface modification agent (SMA) that can be applied during frac-packing operations or the remedial treatments of propped fractures or near-wellbore (NWB) formations. Studies were conducted to demonstrate the mechanisms by which this SMA simultaneously inhibits scale formation in the proppant pack while also controlling migration and intrusion of formation sand and fines. Once coated on the proppant as part of hydraulic fracturing, frac-packing, or gravel pack treatment, or when injected into the proppant pack and formation matrix, this SMA forms a thin film on the particulates, covering the fines and anchoring the particulates in place. The SMA coating also forms a hydrophobic film that encapsulates particulate surfaces, inhibiting chemical reactions that lead to scale formation in pack matrix and subsequent productivity loses. Experiments using packed beds of proppant, formation sands, and various fines were performed to simulate proppant pack conditions and formation fines before and after remedial treatments. It was observed that SMA treatments formed only a very thin film, which encapsulated proppant or formation particulates and created cohesion between grains, without plugging pore spaces. Additionally, laboratory results demonstrate that SMA treatments can effectively prevent buildup of scale in various sand packs as well as successfully controlling migration of formation fines into proppant packs to maintain fluid flow paths. In addition to remedial treatments, SMA treatment fluid can be applied while treating formations following a sandstone acidizing treatment, during treatment of formations before a high-rate water pack or frac-pack treatment, or as part of a pad fluid to treat the fracture faces before placement of proppant into a fracture and/or a screen annulus.