Hand cooling to reduce exercise-induced hyperthermia and improve race performance of wheelchair and able-bodied athletes

The effects of heat stress on performance have been studied since the 1930s, particularly in the military and industrial areas. More recently, significant research has been conducted on the use of a range of cooling devices, designed to cool athletes prior to and/or during events in warm conditions. Some of these have yielded 30% improvements in endurance whilst performing in the heat (Marino, 2002; Duffield et al., 2003)...