MOVEMENT RELATED INCREASES IN ARTERIAL BLOOD PRESSURE DURING ARM CRANK EXERCISE

Abstract

Few studies have evaluated the arterial blood pressure response during arm crank-exercise. The two specific aims of this study were to investigate if a higher arm cranking cadence was associated with an increase in finger arterial blood pressure and to determine the contributions that orthostatic, base, cardiac pulse and movement-related force parameters have on the blood pressure increases during arm cranking. Finger arterial blood pressure increased at a higher arm cranking cadence that maintained the same internal work (45 rpm: 83 ± 7 mm Hg; 90 rpm: 99 ±12 mm Hg; p=0.0028), although the magnitude of the effect may be exercise intensity dependent. Approximately 3 mm Hg of this 16 mg Hg increase was due to changes in movement-related pressure (p<0.0001). The results from this study show that limb movements can contribute to the increase in finger arterial blood pressure at higher arm cranking cadence.