Small arteries stay stiff for a longer period following vibration exercises in combination with blood flow restriction.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to assess the effect of isometric exercises performed during whole-body vibration (WBV) with and without blood flow restriction (BFR) on arterial elasticity and hemodynamic variables.

METHODS: Eight male subjects performed static upper body (UB) and lower body (LB) exercises on a vibration platform with and without BFR. During BFR sessions, BFR cuffs were placed on the arms or legs and inflated to a target pressure. Exercises consisted of eight 45-s sets for UB, and ten 1-min sets for LB. Arterial elasticity and hemodynamic variables were assessed before, at 10 min and 40 min postexercise. Repeated measures ANOVA was used to test the mean differences in related variables.

RESULTS: A significant condition (BFR versus no-BFR) main effect was detected for small arterial elasticity (P<0·05). For heart rate (HR), there were significant time (P<0·01), condition (P = 0·02) and body (P = 0·04) main effects during exercise and condition (P<0·04) and time (P<0·01) main effects following exercise. Significantly lower values in systemic vascular resistance were detected at 10 min post compared to 40 min post (P<0·02) and UB compared to LB (P = 0·02).

CONCLUSIONS: Results showed that small arteries stayed stiffer for a longer period of time after vibration exercises with BFR and BFR placed a greater demand on cardiovascular system. Findings also indicated that the type of exercises performed and/or the measurement location are very important and should be taken into account when examining arterial response.