Kryo-, Kälte-, Wärmetherapie

The comparison of the effects of local cooling and heating on apoptosis and pyroptosis of early-stage pressure ulcers in rats

The exploration of an effective method for preventing and treating pressure ulcers (PUs) is a hot topic in medical research. Recently, disputes about the choice of heat and cold therapies have emerged for the prevention and treatment of clinical PUs. The present study was designed to compare the effect of cool and heat therapies on pyroptosis and apoptosis of early-stage PUs in rats. Sixty SD rats of SPF grade were randomly divided into the sham group, model group, heating group, and cooling group. We established a rat model of early-stage PUs by using an ischemia-reperfusion method. At the end of the experiment, the tissue underneath the compressed region was collected for hematoxylin and eosin staining, transmission electron microscopy, immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence staining, a TdT-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling assay, a Western blot analysis, and a mitochondrial swelling experiment. Our results suggested that the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway and pyroptosis were involved in the formation of early-stage PUs, and local heating increased the PU injury in rats, while local cooling reduced the PU injury in rats. This study showed that heat therapy might not be suitable for the clinical treatment and care of early-stage PUs, while cold therapy may be more appropriate.

KNEE PROPRIOCEPTION MAY BE ALTERED BY TREATMENT IN ATHLETES SUFFERING FROM DELAYED ONSET MUSCLE SORENESS

Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is a very common musculoskeletal problem in athletes involved in extreme competitions. The aim of this study is to compare the effect of diathermy, sham diathermy and massage on the knee proprioception of athletes treated for DOMS. Forty athletes were enrolled after the second day of a demanding ski mountaineering race. They were randomly assigned to four groups: no treatment [Formula: see text], massage [Formula: see text], diathermy [Formula: see text], and sham diathermy [Formula: see text]. The knee reposition error was measured after the treatments in order to assess knee proprioception. Significant differences between the diathermy and sham diathermy groups were found ([Formula: see text]) with an absolute effect size of [Formula: see text]. No other significant differences were found among groups. This means that diathermy has a negative impact on joint proprioception and can be explained by the spindle desensitization consequent to deeper tissue heating. This information can be important in the DOMS management of athletes, since an altered proprioception may interfere with the athlete’s performance and can increase the risk of injury.