Effect of ischemic preconditioning on microvascular post-occlusive hyperemic reactions and quadriceps morphology in MMA: a randomized clinical trial.

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of a 14-day daily ischemic preconditioning (IPC) intervention versus a sham IPC intervention on microvascular post-occlusive hyperemic reactions and quadriceps muscle morphology in martial arts athletes.

DESIGN

This randomized controlled trial involved 28 adults specializing in martial arts, who were randomly assigned to either the IPC or sham IPC group.

METHODS

Participants in the IPC intervention completed two daily sessions over 14 consecutive days. Each session consisted of three cycles of 5 min of 100% arterial occlusion pressure (AOP) followed by 5 min of rest, for a total session duration of 30 min. Assessments were conducted at baseline, immediately after the 14-day intervention (afterInt), 7 days post-intervention (7d-afterInt), and 2 weeks post-intervention (2w-afterInt). The measured outcomes included peak isometric strength, rate of force development (RFD), pennation angle at rest (PA rest) and during maximal contraction (PA contraction), resting blood flow (RF), minimum and 100% AOP, biological zero (BZ), reactive hyperemia (RH max), time to peak maximal perfusion (TP), recovery time for perfusion to return to resting values (TR).

RESULTS

Significantly higher RFD values in IPC afterInt (p = 0.005) as well as RF values (p = 0.014) were found. Significantly higher BZ values in IPC afterInt (p < 0.001) as well as 7d-afterInt (p < 0.001) were also found.

CONCLUSIONS

This study suggests that the significant positive effects of IPC, compared to shamIPC, on strength and perfusion parameters persist for up to 7 days after the intervention.