Abstract
BackgroundThe purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of bradycardia induced by pre-exercise acupuncture on heart rate responses during short-duration exercise.MethodsA total of 29 healthy subjects underwent two protocols: protocol 1 assessed the effects of manual acupuncture on heart rate response during rest, and protocol 2 tested the hypothesis that the bradycardic effects induced by pre-exercise acupuncture continue during low- and high-intensity exercise. Their average age, height, weight, and body mass index were 21.2 ± 2.0 years, 167.2 ± 8.8 cm, 63.8 ± 12.8 kg, and 22.7 ± 3.5 kg/m2, respectively. In acupuncture stimulations for protocols 1 and 2, an acupuncture needle was inserted into the lower leg and manual acupuncture stimulation was performed at 1 Hz.ResultsIn protocol 1 (resting condition), acupuncture stimulation induced a bradycardic response, which continued for 4 min after the cessation of acupuncture stimulation (p < 0.05). In protocol 2, the bradycardic response induced by pre-exercise acupuncture stimulation remained during low-intensity exercise and in the beginning of high-intensity exercise performed immediately after the cessation of acupuncture stimulation (p < 0.05). However, the effects disappeared when post-acupuncture exercise was performed when the heart rate was approximately 140 beats/min during high-intensity exercise. The rating of perceived exertion after exercise differed significantly between the acupuncture stimulation task (7.9 ± 1.6) and no-stimulation task (8.5 ± 2.0) (p = 0.03) only in the low intensity group.ConclusionThis study may provide new insights into the effect of acupuncture stimulation on psycho-physiological conditions during exercise.
Highlights
Acupuncture has been used to affect cardiovascular regulatory function through modulation of the autonomic nervous system
Nishijo et al [3] proposed that the bradycardic response induced by acupuncture stimulation is mediated by both an increase in cardiac vagal activity and a decrease in sympathetic nerve activity because the response was attenuated by sequential autonomic blockade with atropine and propranolol
Gentil et al [5] reported that subjects who underwent acupuncture and moxibustion sessions twice a week for a period of 5 weeks had a lower heart rate associated with an increased velocity in the anaerobic threshold during treadmill exercise after the intervention period
Summary
Acupuncture has been used to affect cardiovascular regulatory function through modulation of the autonomic nervous system. Gentil et al [5] reported that subjects who underwent acupuncture and moxibustion sessions twice a week for a period of 5 weeks had a lower heart rate associated with an increased velocity in the anaerobic threshold during treadmill exercise after the intervention period They suggested that the improvement of exercise performance is associated with decrease in the heart rate resulting from modulation of the autonomic nervous system by acupuncture treatment. White and Raven [7] reported that the increase in heart rate elicited by dynamic exercise depended on the balance between the influences of the parasympathetic and sympathetic branches of the autonomic nervous system These studies suggest that modulation of the autonomic nervous system elicited by pre-exercise acupuncture stimulation continues during exercise that activates sympathetic vasoconstrictor outflow and tachycardia. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of bradycardia induced by pre-exercise acupuncture on heart rate responses during short-duration exercise
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