Abstract
PURPOSE:
To assess the effect of upper limb dominance on the forearm sweating pattern in spastic cerebral palsy (CP).
METHODS:
Eight children and adolescents with spastic CP (9.3–18.3 years), 7 of whom were left-hand dominant, performed 3 × 10 min arm cranking exercise at 35 °C, 50% relative humidity. Exercise intensity varied among subjects from 0.36 to 0.85 W·kg−1 body mass. Right and left forearm skin temperatures (Tsk) were measured just prior to the first exercise bout and during the last minute of the final bout. At the end of exercise, the sweat drops on the midanterior aspect of both forearms were photographed. Sweat gland population density (PD), average sweat drop area (DA) and the percentage of skin covered by sweat (%A) were determined from subsequently developed 35 mm slides, using computerized digitization. Data were analyzed using a paired t-test (α = 0.05).
RESULTS:
There were no significant differences between forearms in the increase in Tsk (on average, 0.16 °C higher on the dominant forearm; P = 0.60; 95% CI = −0.53, 0.86 °C;). PD was greater on the non-dominant forearm (mean difference = 21.9 sweat drops·cm−2; P = 0.03; 95% CI = 3.28, 40.47 sweat drops·cm−2). DA was smaller on the non-dominant forearm (mean difference = 0.0079 mm−2; P = 0.01; 95% CI = 0.0028, 0.0130 mm−2. Arm dominance did not affect %A (on average, 0.44% greater coverage on the non-dominant arm; P = 0.35; 95% CI = −0.60, 1.48%).
CONCLUSION:
The forearm sweating pattern in spastic CP is affected by upper limb dominance, but this is not related to local Tsk. Since the %A of the skin covered by sweat was the same for both forearms, the smaller DA on the non-dominant forearm could be related to the greater PD on that side, which in itself may be due to the smaller size of the non-dominant upper limb.
To assess the effect of upper limb dominance on the forearm sweating pattern in spastic cerebral palsy (CP).
METHODS:
Eight children and adolescents with spastic CP (9.3–18.3 years), 7 of whom were left-hand dominant, performed 3 × 10 min arm cranking exercise at 35 °C, 50% relative humidity. Exercise intensity varied among subjects from 0.36 to 0.85 W·kg−1 body mass. Right and left forearm skin temperatures (Tsk) were measured just prior to the first exercise bout and during the last minute of the final bout. At the end of exercise, the sweat drops on the midanterior aspect of both forearms were photographed. Sweat gland population density (PD), average sweat drop area (DA) and the percentage of skin covered by sweat (%A) were determined from subsequently developed 35 mm slides, using computerized digitization. Data were analyzed using a paired t-test (α = 0.05).
RESULTS:
There were no significant differences between forearms in the increase in Tsk (on average, 0.16 °C higher on the dominant forearm; P = 0.60; 95% CI = −0.53, 0.86 °C;). PD was greater on the non-dominant forearm (mean difference = 21.9 sweat drops·cm−2; P = 0.03; 95% CI = 3.28, 40.47 sweat drops·cm−2). DA was smaller on the non-dominant forearm (mean difference = 0.0079 mm−2; P = 0.01; 95% CI = 0.0028, 0.0130 mm−2. Arm dominance did not affect %A (on average, 0.44% greater coverage on the non-dominant arm; P = 0.35; 95% CI = −0.60, 1.48%).
CONCLUSION:
The forearm sweating pattern in spastic CP is affected by upper limb dominance, but this is not related to local Tsk. Since the %A of the skin covered by sweat was the same for both forearms, the smaller DA on the non-dominant forearm could be related to the greater PD on that side, which in itself may be due to the smaller size of the non-dominant upper limb.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | S47-S47 |
| Number of pages | 1 |
| Journal | Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise |
| Volume | 34 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| Publication status | Published - May 2002 |
| Externally published | Yes |