Capacity for vasodilatation in the forearms of manual and office workers

The aim of the present study was to investigate whether occupational physical work using the arms would have a local training effect on the capacity for vasodilatation in the forearm. The subjects were 13 installation workers, and 13 office workers, who were similar in age, height, and body mass. The installation workers were exposed to heavy manual tasks during most of their workshift, whereas the office workers did no heavy manual exercise. The index of forearm capacity for vasodilatation was the plethysmograph flow response after 10 min of arterial occlusion (240 mmHg, 32 kPa). Systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and skin red cell flux (laser-Doppler) were determined together with the blood flow. In both groups, the dominant arm had significantly higher circumference and volume compared to the nondominant arm, whereas handgrip strength was similar for both the arms. The manual workers had greater volumes in both arms in comparison to the office workers, but handgrip strength did not differ between groups. In both groups, the peak forearm vascular conductance was higher in the dominant arm compared to the nondominant arm. In both forearms, the manual workers exhibited significantly higher peak blood flow, and peak vascular conductance than the office workers. No significant difference in skin blood flow was seen between the groups or arms. In conclusion, the forearms of the manual workers had a greater capacity for vasodilatation compared to the office workers suggesting a local vascular training effect due to frequent exposure to heavy physical work using hands.