Home-based Heat Therapy to Improve Functional Capacity and Vascular Health in Older Adults
University of North Texas Health Science Center
Summary
To test the hypothesis that home-based leg heat therapy improves functional capacity, vascular function, and exercise hyperemia in older adults.
Description
Chronic whole-body heating (i.e., heat therapy) has gained attention as a novel strategy to improve clinical and physiological outcomes in a number of populations. However, whole-body heat therapy is quite uncomfortable and may require trained personnel to ensure participant safety, especially for those more at risk for heat-related illness. Moreover, the applicability and acceptability of whole-body heat therapy are questionable as equipment cost is substantial and adherence will be low if individuals are required to travel if they cannot afford in-home therapy. Home-based leg heat therapy of…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 55–80 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Yes
Inclusion Criteria: 1. 55 to 80 years of age 2. No tobacco/nicotine use within preceding 6 months (e.g., cigarettes, chewing tobacco, nicotine gum or patches, and vapor smoking) 3. Systolic blood pressure \<140 mmHg; diastolic blood pressure \<90 mmHg 4. Normal 12-lead ECG (reviewed by a physician) 5. Normal clinical results from a medical exam reviewed by a board-certified physician (e.g., General Health Questionnaire - see attached document) 6. Body mass index (BMI) \<40 unless athletic/muscular build; calculation = body weight (kg)/height (m2) 7. Females Only: Post-menopausal Exclusion Cr…
Interventions
- OtherHome-based leg heat therapy
Participants will be required to perform 8 weeks of leg heat therapy using water-perfused pants 4 times per week, with each session lasting 60 min. Skin temperature will be heated to about 40 °C. The pants heating system (consisting of pants and a water circulator/heater) can finely and uniformly control these designated skin temperatures. Participants will be randomly assigned to a group and provided with the pant heating system as well as a log book in which they are required to track the dates of each session. Participants will also measure their blood pressure and heart rate prior to, during, and immediately after each heating session using a portable oscillometric device provided by our laboratory.
- OtherHome-based sham therapy
Participants will be required to perform 8 weeks of leg heat therapy using water-perfused pants 4 times per week, with each session lasting 60 min. Skin temperature will be heated to about 40 °C. The pants heating system (consisting of pants and a water circulator/heater) can finely and uniformly control these designated skin temperatures. Participants will be randomly assigned to a group and provided with the pant heating system as well as a log book in which they are required to track the dates of each session. Participants will also measure their blood pressure and heart rate prior to, during, and immediately after each heating session using a portable oscillometric device provided by our laboratory.
Location
- University of North Texas Health Science CenterFort Worth, Texas