The Effects of Cold Exposure and Exercise Upon Peripheral Function

Abstract

To assess effects of cold exposure and exercise on peripheral function, 14 volunteers engaged in a ten-day snowshoe march at a mean temperature of -52.5 F. Peripheral function was evaluated by finger nerve conduction velocity measurements, finger skin temperatures, a knot-lying test, and a block-stringing test. Data were evaluated on a beforehand-after basis, and men were divided into groups of those who sustained greatest exposure to cold and exercise (group A) vs those less frequently exposed (group B). Results showed that group B improved in every test parameter after the exercise, while those in group A remained the same, or decreased in their test scores. Since tests of maximum oxygen uptake showed that group A had the greatest postexercise Improvement in physical condition, results seemed to indicate that beneficial effects of exercise on peripheral function may be modified by extensive, sewere cαld exposure.