Preventing heat-related illness in Para-sports -Looking ahead to the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics-

2020 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17K01723
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Sports science
• Research Institution: Hiroshima University
• Principal Investigator: Fukuhara Kouki 広島大学, 病院(医), 理学療法士 (80644971)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 長谷川 博 広島大学, 人間社会科学研究科(総), 教授 (70314713)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2021-03-31
• Keywords: 障害者スポーツ / 下肢切断者・選手 / 体温調節機構 / 熱中症 / 身体冷却

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Persons with lower-limb amputation were considered to be at increased risk of heatstroke and more likely to become severely ill because they tended to become overheated and have difficulty dissipating heat in para-sports. However, this has not been actually verified and is the only speculation. Therefore, we conducted a comparative study on the thermoregulatory responses of persons with lower-limb amputation with those of able-bodied subjects. Our main results were that persons with lower-limb amputation performed upper-limb endurance exercise for 60 min in either a hot or a hot and humid environment in a climate chamber, and their core body temperature increased but did not differ from that of able-bodied subjects in either environment, which is different from speculation. In addition, the core body temperature of persons with lower-limb amputation reached a high of late 38℃ within a short period of time (15 or 30 min) during para-sports competition in a cool environment.

Free Research Field

障がい者の体温調節反応

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

運動中の下肢切断者の体温変化は健常者と同じであったが、下肢切断者の汗の量は明らかに多いことがわかった。下肢切断者は発汗により熱放散能を高め、体温を調節しているため、脱水率が高い。そのため、下肢切断者はより多くの飲水を促す必要性があるかもしれない。このように下肢切断者の体温調節の特徴を理解できれば、熱中症予防策のための情報を選手自身やその家族、コーチスタッフ、競技団体などへ提供でき、障害者スポーツを安全に取り組むことが出来れば、社会的に意義深いものになる。