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This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: 90/3/383    most recent expphysiol.2004.029140v1 Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Bell, M. P. D. Articles by White, M. J. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Bell, M. P. D. Articles by White, M. J. Related Collections Cardiovascular control

¹ School of Sport and Exercise Science, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK

This study investigated the cardiovascular response to a standard external muscle compression during concomitant muscle metaboreflex stimulation of varying intensity in human calf muscle. Eleven healthy male subjects (mean (S.D.) age, 26 (5.6) years; height, 177 (5) cm; weight, 74.3 (6.8) kg) were seated in an isometric dynamometer with the angle of the knee at 90 deg, and the angle of the ankle at 85 deg. After a 150-s rest period, subjects were asked to either perform isometric plantar flexion at 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 or 80% of previously determined maximum isometric contractile force (MVC) for 90 s, or to sit at rest for this period. A thigh cuff maintained circulatory occlusion throughout the exercise period and for 180 s post exercise. After 60 s of post-exercise circulatory occlusion (PECO), a calf cuff was inflated to 300 mmHg for 60 s followed by a further 60 s of PECO alone after which the thigh cuff was deflated. During PECO the mean arterial pressure (MAP) increase from rest was dependent upon the preceding exercise intensity (P < 0.001). Compression elicited a further significant change in MAP, and the magnitude of this change from the PECO baseline was also dependent upon the preceding exercise intensity (P < 0.01). These results are compatible with activation of a metabolically sensitised population of mechanoreceptive afferents in human muscle during external compression.

(Received 23 September 2004; accepted after revision 26 January 2005; first published online 11 February 2005)
Corresponding author M. P. D. Bell: School of Sport and Exercise Science, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK. Email: mpb106{at}bham.ac.uk