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Can Post-Exercise Hemodynamic Response Be Influenced by Different Recovery Methods in Paraplegic Sportsmen?
Felipe J Aidar1, Edilson F Dantas1, Paulo F Almeida-Neto2
1Department of Physical Education, Federal University of Sergipe (UFS), São Cristovão 49100-000, Brazil.
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
|February 15, 2022
Summary
Comparing recovery methods for paraplegic athletes, dry needling initially lowered systolic blood pressure, but cold-water immersion showed better sustained effects. Both methods improved heart rate recovery compared to passive rest.
Area of Science:
- Exercise Physiology
- Sports Medicine
- Rehabilitation
Background:
- Post-exercise hypotension is crucial for athletes and clinical settings, impacting recovery.
- Understanding optimal recovery strategies is vital for athletes, particularly those with disabilities.
- Previous research has not extensively compared passive recovery, cold-water immersion, and dry needling for hemodynamic response in paraplegic athletes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate and compare the effects of passive recovery, cold-water immersion, and dry needling on post-exercise hemodynamic responses.
- To evaluate the influence of these recovery methods on blood pressure, heart rate, and myocardial oxygen in paraplegic sportsmen.
Main Methods:
- Twelve male paraplegic sportsmen underwent a strength training session (bench press).
- Three randomized 15-minute recovery interventions were applied: passive recovery (PR), cold-water (CW), and dry needle (DN).
- Blood pressure (BP), heart rate (HR), and myocardial oxygen were measured pre- and post-training, and post-recovery.
Main Results:
- Dry needling (DN) initially reduced systolic blood pressure (SBP) more than other methods, but SBP was higher at 50-60 minutes post-DN compared to other methods.
- No significant differences in post-exercise diastolic BP or mean BP were observed between recovery methods.
- Passive recovery (PR) resulted in significantly higher HR, double product, and myocardial oxygen compared to cold-water (CW) and dry needle (DN) methods.
Conclusions:
- Dry needling (DN) offers a rapid initial reduction in SBP, while cold-water immersion (CW) demonstrates superior sustained hypotensive effects at 50 minutes.
- Both DN and CW interventions promote better heart rate (HR) recovery compared to passive recovery (PR) in paraplegic athletes.
- The findings suggest that CW and DN are more effective than PR for improving hemodynamic recovery post-strength training in this population.
