Influence of arm-cranking exercise with electrical muscle stimulation on arterial stiffness

Abstract

Endurance exercises such as cycling and running are useful for improving the arterial function and preventing cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, subjects suffering from spinal cord injury (SCI) or lower limb osteoarthritis (OA) cannot perform these kinds of lower limb exercises. Recently, electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) has been shown to be able to increase the muscle strength and blood flow and improve the peripheral circulation. Arm-cranking exercises with EMS may therefore be able to reduce the risk of CVD for patients with SCI and lower OA. However, this point has not been fully clarified. The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of submaximal arm-cranking exercise with EMS on arterial stiffness. Ten healthy young subjects performed submaximal arm-cranking exercise alone (A) and submaximal armcranking exercise with EMS (A+E). In the A+E trial, the submaximal arm-cranking exercise was performed at 30%V 4 O 2 max for 20 min while EMS was applied to their thigh and calf muscles during the exercise. The brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (ba-PWV), systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP/DBP) and heart rate (HR) were measured before and after each exercise. Immediately after the exercise session, the HR of the subjects in the A+E trial was significantly elevated in comparison to those in the A trial. The SBP and DBP did not differ between the two trials to a statistically significant extent. In the A+E trial, the ba-PWV was significantly reduced immediately after exercise in comparison to the A trial (1082.6 ± 105.9 cm•sec-1 vs. 1191.7 ± 86.7 cm•sec-1 , p < 0.05). These findings suggest that arm-cranking exercise with EMS reduces arterial stiffness and might be useful for reducing the risk of CVD.

Effects of Arm-cranking Training with Electrical Muscle Stimulation on Vessel Function

“…Both FMD and nFMD were increased significantly after the A + EMS trial, and significant differences in these parameters were observed between the two trials. The small change in artery function after arm-cranking is in accordance with our previous studies [8,21]. Although the present study did not analyze the blood characteristics and measure the cardiac output/blood flow, the larger change in FMD and nFMD after the A + EMS trial could be explained by the greater response in terms of the plasma atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) level and central blood volume induced by arm-cranking with EMS applied to the lower limb.…”

The neuromodulatory role of dopamine in improved reaction time by acute cardiovascular exercise

“…In contrast to EMS alone, when EMS is combined with voluntary exercise (e.g. arm cranking or cycling), cardiovascular strain is increased compared to exercise alone (Ishikawa et al., 2019; Watanabe et al., 2014). The advantage of the combining EMS and arm cranking is that it is possible to adjust or increase the intensity of exercise.…”