Skin temperature response during cycle ergometry

Dynamic exercise has among other things an effect on core body temperature, skin bloodflow and skin temperature. The skin through vasodilatation is used to transfer metabolic heat from the core to the external environment preventing a rise in body temperature that would be harmful to body organs. The purpose of the study was to characterize the regional skin temperature response to exercise on a stationary ergometer. A three-year study was conducted on one healthy subject. The results have important implications for sports medicine as well as the recreational and professional cyclist. Skin temperature as an index of vasomotor tone was measured from 11 sites before and during exercise on a stationary cycle ergometer. The response was characterized by specific patterns that reflected the dynamic regional balance between hemodynamic and thermoregulatory processes. This study represents the first longitudinal study of regional skin temperature response during cycling on one subject minimizing subject and other variance etiologies. Future work involves developing an interactive predictive computational model of the thermoregulatory (vasomotor) response to stationary ergometry. As this model developed it will be a valuable teaching and research tool for sports medicine and the recreational or professional cyclist.