Cardiovascular and autonomic responses to passive arm or leg movement in men and women

Women display an attenuated mechanoreflex during leg movement; however, sex differences in the response to arm movement are unknown.

Men (n = 12) and women (n = 10) performed passive arm or leg movement where either the right elbow or right knee was passively flexed/extended for 3 min at 30 times/min. Mean arterial pressure (MAP), cardiac output index (Qi), and heart rate (HR) were continuously measured and 1-min averages along with peak values were obtained. Heart rate variability was measured at baseline and throughout 3 min of passive movement.

Men had a greater average HR (P = 0.006) and Qi (P = 0.05) responses to passive limb movement compared to women. Men also had a greater (P = 0.02) and faster (P = 0.04) peak Qi response compared to women. During arm movement, men exhibited a greater change of average MAP compared to both women (P = 0.002) and leg movement (P = 0.05). Movement of either limb in both sexes decreased low-frequency power (LF; P = 0.04), decreased low-frequency to high-frequency ratio (LF/HF; P = 0.03), and increased high-frequency power (HF; P = 0.01) of heart rate variability. Women had lower pulse wave velocity (P = 0.02), higher root mean square of the successive differences (RMSSD; P = 0.04), lower LF power (P = 0.04), higher HF power (P = 0.03), and higher cardiovagal baroreceptor sensitivity (P = 0.003) compared to men at all time points.

We have found sex- and limb-dependent responses where men exhibit higher blood pressure in response to passive arm movement compared to women and compared to leg movement.