About this Research Topic

Background

“Water is life” is a well-known expression widely used with various meanings. Water is required for the existence of life on earth as it is an essential component of all the biological and biochemical processes. We experience this right at the start of life, as early as in the mother’s womb.

In some physical activities, such as swimming, apnea diving, spearfishing, subaquatic hockey, synchronized swimming, etc., athletes are exposed to water environment. Although all in water, these activities are performed either in natural or artificial environments, with or without additional equipment. They are also different by the degrees of immersion, hypoxia, temperature exposure or physical intensities they are inducing. Furthermore, face and whole-body immersion involve involuntary and voluntary changes in breathing pattern, cardiovascular adjustments and nervous system response which could be more pronounced with body position changes, water temperature and increase in hydrostatic pressure.

Underwater training has also been used to modify the energy cost (increasing the resistance) or to induce vascular adjustments (peripheral vasoconstriction) to increase the performance level. Cold water exposure is regularly used in rehabilitation programs after injuries to reduce inflammatory response to exercise or to limit the effect of gravity on musculoskeletal system in patients (e.g. elderly, overweight people or people with illnesses where land work is difficult or impossible). The relaxing and well-being effects of water also explain the attractiveness of the water-based sports used in fitness, health (aqua gym, aqua bike etc.) and use in rehabilitation. For all these reasons, water-based sports can be practiced at all ages (from baby swimmers to elderly people...), reduced physical condition and remains an important tool in the training of land sports.

This Research Topic focuses on physiological aspects of training in water and effects of water exposure to health. Some specific themes can be investigated. Effects of immersion on performance, use of water immersion to increase performance, baby swimmers, pregnancy and immersion, sex difference in water activity response, effects of water immersion in recovery, pathological aspects of water exposure and effects of immersion on respiration. Physiological and training aspects in confidential sports (e.g. underwater rugby and hockey, artistic swimming etc.) will be appreciated. Therefore, the aim of this Frontiers Research Topic is to provide in-depth knowledge in the form of original work, review articles, and meta-analyses covering aspects of physiology, training, performance increase and rehabilitation in water-based sports.

This Research Topic supports SDG6 (Water and Sanitation). This collection will also create science backed awareness on importance of water and inspire action towards sustainably managing the precious resource.

#SDG6 #World Water Day

Keywords: Aquatic environment, Swimming, Training, Rehabilitation, underwater, immersion, thermoregulation, cold-water

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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