Abstract
Background and Objectives: Blood flow restriction during low-load exercise stimulates similar muscle adaptations to those normally observed with higher loads. Differences in the arterial occlusion pressure (AOP) between limbs and between sexes are unclear. We compared the AOP of the superficial femoral artery in the dominant and non-dominant legs, and the relationship between blood flow and occlusion pressure in 35 (16 males, 19 females) young adults. Materials and Methods: Using ultrasound, we measured the AOP of the superficial femoral artery in both legs. Blood flow at occlusion pressures ranging from 0% to 100% of the AOP was measured in the dominant leg. Results: There was a significant difference in the AOP between males and females in the dominant (230 ± 41 vs. 191 ± 27 mmHg; p = 0.002) and non-dominant (209 ± 37 vs. 178 ± 21 mmHg; p = 0.004) legs, and between the dominant and non-dominant legs in males (230 ± 41 vs. 209 ± 37 mmHg; p = 0.009) but not females (191 ± 27 vs. 178 ± 21 mmHg; p = 0.053), respectively. Leg circumference was the most influential independent predictor of the AOP. There was a linear relationship between blood flow (expressed as a percentage of unoccluded blood flow) and occlusion pressure (expressed as a percentage of AOP). Conclusions: Arterial occlusion pressure is not always greater in the dominant leg or the larger leg. Practitioners should measure AOP in both limbs to determine if occlusion pressures used during exercise should be limb specific. Occlusion pressures used during blood flow restriction exercise should be chosen carefully.
Highlights
Blood flow restriction (BFR) applied to the arms or legs during low-load resistance training is effective in promoting hypertrophy and increasing or maintaining muscle strength [1,2,3,4,5]
Further research is needed to determine the optimal pressure to use during Blood flow restriction exercise (BFRE), it appears that a pressure equivalent to 50% to 80% of the arterial occlusion pressure (AOP) is appropriate during low-load resistance training [5]
While it is clear that limb circumference is more influential on AOP than limb composition, the sex differences in thigh skinfold thickness reported in this study and the influence of fat thickness reported by Loenneke et al [21] lend support for an influence of limb composition on AOP that needs further investigation
Summary
Blood flow restriction (BFR) applied to the arms or legs during low-load resistance training is effective in promoting hypertrophy and increasing or maintaining muscle strength [1,2,3,4,5]. The current recommendation [5,17] is to use a percentage of the arterial occlusion pressure (AOP) to restrict blood flow during BFRE. A plethora of papers have been published on the topic of BFR and BFRE, some things remain unclear, including the relationship between blood flow and occlusion pressure, sex differences in AOP, and differences in AOP between dominant and nondominant limbs. We hypothesized a direct positive relationship between limb circumference and AOP, no significant difference in AOP between the sexes or between the dominant and nondominant legs, and no significant sex difference in the relationship between arterial blood flow and relative occlusion pressure
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