Long-Term Passive Leg Stretch Improves Systemic Vascular Responsiveness as Much as Single-Leg Exercise Training

Area of Science:

• Exercise Physiology
• Vascular Biology
• Sports Medicine

Background:

• Vascular responsiveness is crucial for cardiovascular health.
• Understanding the impact of different training modalities on vascular function is important.
• Small muscle mass endurance training and passive stretching are common interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare local and systemic vascular responsiveness after small muscle mass endurance training versus passive stretching training.
• To evaluate the effects of single-leg knee extension training and passive stretching on femoral and brachial artery function.
• To assess changes in vascular responsiveness in healthy participants undergoing different training interventions or no intervention.

Main Methods:

• Thirty-six healthy participants were divided into three groups: single-leg knee extension (SLKE) training, passive stretching training (PST), and a control group.
• Interventions lasted 8 weeks.
• Local vascular responsiveness (femoral artery blood flow) and systemic vascular responsiveness (brachial artery flow-mediated dilation - FMD) were measured before and after the intervention period using Doppler ultrasound.

Main Results:

• Both SLKE and PST significantly increased femoral blood flow, indicating improved local vascular responsiveness, with a greater effect observed after SLKE.
• Both SLKE and PST significantly improved brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (FMD), indicating enhanced systemic vascular responsiveness, with no significant difference between the two groups.
• The control group showed no significant changes in vascular responsiveness.

Conclusions:

• Both active (SLKE) and passive (PST) training modalities enhance vascular responsiveness.
• SLKE is more effective than PST in improving local vascular responsiveness (femoral artery blood flow).
• PST offers a viable alternative for individuals with limited mobility to improve both local and systemic vascular responsiveness, yielding systemic effects comparable to endurance training.