UNDER PRESSURE: INDIVIDUAL VARIABILITY IN BLOOD FLOW RESTRICTION TRAINING FROM RELATIVE AND ABSOLUTE PRESSURE APPLICATION

Author

Anna KangFollow
Ryo Kataoka, University of Mississippi Main CampusFollow
William Blake Hammert, University of Mississippi Main CampusFollow
Yujiro Yamada, University of Mississippi Main CampusFollow
Robert Sallberg, University of Mississippi Main CampusFollow
Emily Metcalf, University of Mississippi Main CampusFollow
Jeremy Loenneke, University of Mississippi Main CampusFollow

Date of Award

Spring 5-9-2025

Document Type

Undergraduate Thesis

Department

Health, Exercise Science, and Recreation Management

First Advisor

Jeremy Loenneke

Second Advisor

Matthew Jessee

Third Advisor

Chip Wade

Relational Format

Dissertation/Thesis

Abstract

Purpose: To (1) determine if there is an effect of blood flow restriction (BFR) exercise on blood pressure, discomfort, acute swelling, and pressure pain threshold; (2) determine if there are individual responses within mentioned variables to BFR exercise; (3) determine if method of BFR application can reproduce individual responses if heterogeneity is present; and (4) quantify individual differences in BFR responses.

Methods: 82 participants completed five visits. During the first, familiarization visit, arterial occlusion pressure (AOP), knee extension one-repetition maximum (1RM), and endurance repetitions with 80% applied AOP were measured. The next four visits involved two identical cycles with each cycle consisting of an exercise and time-matched control visit. The exercise involved 2 sets of 30% 1RM unilateral knee extensions separated by 30 seconds of rest, each set matched at 70% of the maximum repetitions completed in the familiarization visit. Participants were randomly assigned a BFR pressure of either 80% AOP (relative) or 100mmHg (absolute) to be paired with the exercise. Blood pressure, discomfort, acute swelling (muscle thickness), pressure pain threshold, and thigh pain were measured in all visits.

Results: Relative (80% AOP) group observed a greater increase in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurements. Heterogeneity was observed for both measurements, and results indicate that blood pressure responses were not reproducible. BFR-induced exercise did find change in acute swelling but was not dependent on pressure application. The absolute group

showed evidence for heterogeneity while the relative group did not, indicating that there may be a uniform swelling response. Thigh pain responses were slightly higher within the relative pressure group with evidence for heterogeneity across both groups and exhibited highly reproducible results within an individual. Lower limb pressure pain threshold (PPT) change was induced with BFR exercise but was not dependent upon type of pressure application. Heterogeneity was observed only in the relative pressure group and was not reproducible.

Conclusion: Inter-individual variability was detected in physiological and pain responses to BFR, low-load resistance exercise, with relative pressures finding uniform responses in only muscle swelling. Findings support the notion that personalization of BFR exercise is necessary to account for individual differences and optimization of BFR application.

Recommended Citation

Kang, Anna; Kataoka, Ryo; Hammert, William Blake; Yamada, Yujiro; Sallberg, Robert; Metcalf, Emily; and Loenneke, Jeremy, "UNDER PRESSURE: INDIVIDUAL VARIABILITY IN BLOOD FLOW RESTRICTION TRAINING FROM RELATIVE AND ABSOLUTE PRESSURE APPLICATION" (2025). Honors Theses. 3279.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/hon_thesis/3279

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