Effects of ischemic preconditioning on lower-limb anaerobic performance and neuromuscular adaptations

This study examined whether ischemic preconditioning (IPC) improves lower-limb anaerobic performance and neuromuscular function in female athletes.

Twenty-two female second-level athletes were randomly assigned to an IPC or sham group in a single-blind, parallel design. Participants received once-daily IPC (220 mmHg, 4 × 5-min ischemia/5-min reperfusion) or sham intervention for seven days. Before and after the intervention, we measured 30-s Wingate performance, heart rate, blood lactate, surface electromyography of the lower-limb muscles, and oxyhemoglobin (HbO) in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). A 2 (group: IPC vs. sham) × 2 (time: pre vs. post) repeated-measures analysis of variance was used.

Compared with sham, IPC induced greater increases in average power and total work (P < 0.05), whereas peak power and fatigue index did not differ significantly between groups (P > 0.05). Additionally, there were no between-group differences in mean or peak heart rate , blood lactate, the median frequency of the lower-limb muscles, or DLPFC HbO changes (P > 0.05).

Seven days of IPC induced a modest enhancement in lower-limb anaerobic performance in female athletes without substantially altering electromyography, heart rate, blood lactate responses, or cortical oxygenation levels. IPC may be a practical, safe, and effective non-pharmacological strategy to support training preparation in competitive athletes.