2007, Piran, Slovenia

Sweating
REGIONAL SWEAT RATES OF THE ARMS AND HANDS IN MALE
SQUASH PLAYERS
Caroline Smith, Vincent Ventenat and George Havenith
Human Thermal Environments Laboratory, Loughborough University, UK
Centre de Recherché DECATHLON, Lille, France
Contact person: C.J.Smith@lboro.ac.uk
INTRODUCTION
A number of studies have been conducted on regional sweat rates. However, data vary
considerably. A problem with much of the work conducted in this field is that sweat rates are
related to the thermal state of the body. The use of different thermal states during these
studies means that many of the results are not directly comparable. Data have tended to show
great individual variation in regional sweat rates. Another issue is that much of the research
has only measured sweat rates in a single location of each body region, consequently
providing data that is specific to only a limited area of skin. This is mainly a result of the use
of ventilated capsules as the predominant method of sweat collection, which only measure an
area of 2-3 cm 2 . To obtain more detailed information regarding regional sweat rates, an
absorbent method of sweat collection has been developed which allows the simultaneous
measurement of large areas of the body. The aim of this experiment was to quantify regional
sweat rates on the arms and hands of male squash players, and to gather baseline
physiological data which can be used to aid in the design and development of racket sports
equipment.
METHODS
Ten male subjects (age: 38 ±13 years, height: 176 ±6.3 cm, weight: 77.6 ±6.3 kg) who were
regular squash players, attended the Human Thermal Environments Laboratory for two
sessions. The first was a measurement session, during which arm and hand dimensions were
taken for the calculation of absorbent pads. The second was an experimental session which
was conducted in a glass backed squash court at an ambient temperature of 26.1±1.8°C and
relative humidity of 67±6% to simulate summer conditions and induce thermal sweating.
Following the measurement session, two sets of absorbent pads were produced for each
subject. These were weighed inside labelled airtight bags, in which they were stored until
testing. A total of 8 pads were used, covering the anterior and posterior upper and lower arm.
Cotton gloves were used for sweat collection on the hands, with latex gloves placed over them
to prevent the evaporation of sweat during the test periods. To limit the migration of sweat
between zones of the glove small incisions were made across the base of each finger.
On arrival to the experimental session subjects were provided with shorts and t-shirt and then
weighed. Infra red images of the nude, dried, skin were taken prior to testing, before and after
each pad application, and immediately after testing to monitor skin temperature. Resting heart
rate and aural canal temperature were taken before subjects warmed up, with heart rate
monitored throughout the experiment at 15 second intervals. The subject played squash for a
total of 60 minutes against another player who was not being tested. The subject could drink
water freely during the experiment to prevent dehydration, with volumes recorded. The target
heart rate of the subject during the testing was 140-160 beats per minute (bpm), which was set
to the control workload. Sweat samples were taken at 25 min and 50 min during the
experiment, for a duration of 10 min. The subjects removed the shirt and towelled the skin dry
immediately prior to pad application, to ensure only sweat produced during the sample period
was collected. Pads were applied and held in place using a stretch zip t-shirt. All of the pads
had an impermeable backing to prevent evaporation. Cotton gloves were applied to the hands
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