The Influence of Applied Blood Flow Restriction Cuffs on Kinematics of Submaximal Sprinting

Ryu Nagahara,Takashi Abe

doi:10.3390/jfmk2040045

Abstract

It is unknown how sports activity combined with blood flow restriction (BFR) on the limbs can impact the exercising limb’s motion. We aimed to compare the lower limb kinematics between submaximal sprinting with and without BFR cuffs (i.e., BFR and normal conditions) when they were applied on the upper thigh. Ten collegiate sprinters performed five 45-m submaximal sprint trials under normal and BFR conditions. The BFR was applied to both legs at the proximal portion of the thigh utilizing elastic cuffs. The cuff pressure was set at approximately 60% of estimated arterial occlusion pressure. Spatiotemporal and hip and knee joint kinematic variables for both legs during submaximal sprinting were obtained using a motion capture system. The results showed, for spatiotemporal variables, no significant difference (p > 0.653), a trivial or small effect size (0.050–0.205), and high correlation coefficients (r > 0.923) between conditions. Moreover, for the joint angles and angular velocities, no significant difference (p > 0.244) and a trivial or small effect size (0.003–0.538), as well as significant correlations (r >0.684) were found between conditions. These results indicate that, in general, there is probably no influence of BFR cuffs on the upper thigh on running kinematics.

Highlights

During the past two decades, a large number of studies have been published investigating the efficacy of acute and chronic low-intensity exercise combined with blood flow restriction (BFR) [1,2,3]
Several studies revealed that low-load resistance training with BFR could elicit similar muscle hypertrophy and strength gains as traditional high-load resistance training [4,5,6]
The results of this study show that the BFR cuffs on the upper thigh generally seem to have no large effect on the running kinematics at a running speed of 75–85% of the average speed of their best record of the 100-m race

Summary

Introduction

During the past two decades, a large number of studies have been published investigating the efficacy of acute and chronic low-intensity exercise combined with blood flow restriction (BFR) [1,2,3]. The authors reported that 100-m sprint time was improved by submaximal sprint training with BFR on the lower limbs, but not by submaximal sprint training without BFR This is an interesting new topic and the first study to examine the effects of BFR on sports performance when applied during the same sports activity. The study raises a potential concern about the influence of applied BFR cuffs on the lower limb kinematics during submaximal sprinting This is important to consider, because a restriction of motion can impair sports activity techniques, and it is unknown whether submaximal sprinting with BFR on the lower limbs affects their motion. These studies did not use BFR cuffs, these findings would suggest that the BFR cuffs may potentially restrict lower limb motion when the cuffs are fastened tightly on the lower limbs

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Conclusion