Abstract
During dynamic exercise, the vasculature embedded within skeletal muscle intermittently collapses due to increased intramuscular pressure (IMP). The aim of this study was to ascertain whether oscillations in IMP during muscle contractions independently contribute to exercise training-induced increases in blood flow capacity (BFC). Based on IMP measurements during handgrip exercise, we attempted to mimic the action of repeated vascular compressions by using external inflatable cuffs. Thus, 24 healthy young male subjects underwent a 4-week program (5 days/week, 1 h/day) of application of external compressions of the non-dominant forearm, while the dominant limb served as an internal control. To evaluate the impact of compression pressures of different magnitudes, subjects were randomly assigned to one of three groups: 50, 100 and 150 mmHg of external compression. Prior to the intervention and after 2 and 4 weeks of treatment, we measured peak forearm blood flow (PBF) (Doppler ultrasound) and calculated peak vascular conductance (PVC) following 10 min of forearm ischemia. In the 50 and 100 mmHg groups, application of intermittent compressions did not alter PBF in either control or intervention forearms. In the 150 mmHg group, there was a trend (P = 0.04) for greater increases in PBF from baseline after 4 weeks in the intervention forearm compared to the control forearm (delta PBF: 4.2 ± 2.5 vs. −2.1 ± 2.0 (ml(100 ml)−1 min−1), in the intervention and control forearms, respectively), but the changes in PVC were not significant (P = 0.1). These findings suggest that repeated oscillations in IMP contribute minimally to exercise-induced increase in forearm BFC in healthy young humans.
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Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank Dr. Richard Madsen for assistance with statistical analysis. This research was supported by HL36088 and a Doctoral Student Research Grant from the American College of Sports Medicine Foundation (B.R.). Bruno Roseguini is a Fulbright/Brazilian Ministry of Education (Capes) fellow.
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Communicated by Narihiko Kondo.
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421_2010_1657_MOESM1_ESM.tif
Supplemental Fig. 1 Representative example of ultrasound image of the brachial artery (A) and raw velocity tracings at baseline (B) and during application of mechanical compressions at 50 mmHg (C), 100 mmHg (D) and 150 mmHg (E). Up arrows indicate the time when the cuff was inflated and down arrows denote the time when the cuff was deflated. Brachial blood velocity is given in cm/s (TIFF 624 kb)
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Roseguini, B.T., Sheldon, R., Stroup, A. et al. Impact of chronic intermittent external compressions on forearm blood flow capacity in humans. Eur J Appl Physiol 111, 509–519 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-010-1657-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-010-1657-6