Effects of Blood Flow Restriction Combined with Low-Intensity Resistance Training on Lower-Limb Muscle Strength and Mass in Post-Middle-Aged Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

We studied the effect of blood flow restriction (BFR) combined with low-intensity resistance training (LIRT) on lower-limb muscle strength and mass in post-middle-aged adults. The PubMed, OVID, ProQuest, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Scopus databases were used to obtain randomized controlled trials, and the effects of BFR and LIRT (BFRt) on muscle strength and mass in adults were examined. The Cochrane risk of bias tool assessed bias in the included trials. The combined effects of BFR and LIRT (BFRt) were calculated by meta-analysis, the association between muscle strength/mass and interventions was determined by meta-regression, and beneficial variables of intervention were explored by subgroup analysis. A total of 11 articles were included in the meta-analysis. The combined effects showed that BFRt significantly improved lower extremity muscle strength but not muscle mass gain. Meta-regression analysis indicated that the effect of BFRt on changes in muscle strength was correlated with frequency of the intervention. Subgroup analysis revealed that BFRt achieved greater muscle strength gains than normal activity, LIRT, and similar muscle strength gains compared to high-intensity resistance training. The increased muscle strength after BFRt was noticed with a frequency of three times a week, but not with a frequency of two times a week, and the difference between these subgroups was statistically significant. Our findings indicate that BFRt can increase lower-limb muscle strength in post-middle-aged adults. Frequency of intervention is a key variable; particularly, a schedule of three times a week is effective in improving muscle strength.

Muscle strength adaptation between high-load resistance training versus low-load blood flow restriction training with different cuff pressure characteristics: a systematic review and meta-analysis

“…For special populations, muscle strength is a key factor in promoting mobility, cardiovascular capacity, and performance in daily activities (Obrusnikova et al, 2022). Researchers previously thought that the best approach for improving muscle strength is to perform HL-RT; however, as time progressed, increasing evidence showed that BFR-RT can also effectively improve muscle strength (Takarada et al, 2000;Brandner et al, 2019;Chang et al, 2022). Interestingly, many studies have focused their research objectives on comparing Frontiers in Physiology frontiersin.org the differences in muscle strength gain via BFR-RT and the without vascular occlusion resistance exercise, but the effects of some characteristics of BFR-RT itself on muscle strength gain are generally ignored.…”

“…However, controversy arises when BFR-RT is compared with HL-RT, which is known as the gold standard for increasing muscle strength. For example, some studies have shown that BFR-RT training can produce muscle strength gain similar to HL-RT (Libardi et al, 2015;Centner et al, 2022;Chang et al, 2022), whereas other studies have shown that BFR-RT training leads to less muscle strength gain than HL-RT (Lixandrao et al, 2018;Sieljacks et al, 2019).…”

Acute Effects of Blood Flow Restriction Training on Movement Velocity and Neuromuscular Signal during the Back Squat Exercise

“…Yasuda et al [43] showed that low-intensity strength training and BFR-induced functional muscle adaptations are enhanced when combined with HI-RT. Even so, the use of low-intensity BFRT has shown benefits in increasing lower limb strength in rehabilitation processes, especially in middle-aged people [44].…”

Evidências De Benefícios Do Pré-Condicionamento Isquêmico Em Situações Específicas Do Treinamento Esportivo

“…A redução da força muscular de membros inferiores aumenta as chances do surgimento de patologias crônicas, de quedas, do declínio da qualidade de vida e da função corporal, principalmente em idosos (CHANG et al, 2022). Portanto, melhorar a força muscular de membros inferiores é um problema relevante e que deve ser explorado de forma intensiva pelos profissionais da saúde.…”

“…As evidências disponíveis até o momento sugerem que o PCI pode induzir adaptações positivas no volume e na força muscular, além de melhora no desempenho físico, em idosos (BAKER et al, 2020;RODRIGO-MALLORCA et al, 2021), com necessidade de uma frequência mínima de três vezes por semana de treinos (CHANG et al, 2022).…”