Effects of applying cold

Question 1

Describe the effect to cell activity

Answer 1

Biological processes slow down with cooling because cells and enzymes work best at optimum temperature, so decreasing the temperature slows all the processes

Question 2

Describe the effect to blood flow

Answer 2

Thermoreceptors in the skin detect the decrease in temperature which causes an automatic response resulting in vasoconstriction of the blood vessels.
Core body temperature is helped to remain stable also by countercurrent heat exchange between blood vessels to help prevent heat loss

Question 3

Describe the effect to skin colour

Answer 3

After a period of cooling the skin it will appear red in colour due to there being a shift in the oxygen dissociation curve so that the blood tends to hold onto its oxygen more due to oxyhaemoglobin dissociating less readily.

Question 4

Describe the effect to muscle blood flow

Answer 4

Muscle blood flow does not change very much as it takes a prolonged period of time for a cooling effect to be reached on the muscle cells due to a layer of subcutaneous tissue

Question 5

Describe the effect to collagen fibres

Answer 5

It is reported that after a period of cooling that joints become stiffer, this may be because of collagen fibres becoming stiffer.

Question 6

Describe the effect causing pain relief

Answer 6

It can be used as a counterirritant to reduce pain by thr pain gate theory.
Been demonstrated that peripheral nerve conduction is slowed and then stops completely due to cooling.
demonstrated in animal studies that small-diameter myelinated fibres, which conduct pain, are most responsive to the cold.
Also, it can be explained because the cold will slow the process of destructive enzymes which cause pain

Question 7

Describe the effect to muscle tone

Answer 7

The reduction in temperature also causes the sensitivity of muscle spindles to decrease.
It takes a prolonged period of cooling to decrease the temperature of the muscles as they are deep and well insulated.
A study showed that after 20 minutes of using a liquid ice bag on the gastrocnemius that there was a reduction in spacisity

Question 8

Describe the effect on tissue repair

Answer 8

If it is prolonged it can have a negative effect because the prolonged cooling reduces the metabolic rate in tissues and reduction in blood flow.
Reduced swelling however can be achieved in the tissue repair process due to vasoconstriction of the blood vessels and due to the reduction in cell metabolism and the action of vasoactive substances.