Walking With Blood Flow Restriction Improves the Dynamic Strength of Women With Osteoporosis

Abstract

Introduction: Improving strength levels is important to women with osteoporosis. Resistance and aerobic exercise are effective means of reaching this goal; however, the use of low-load exercises with blood flow restriction is an alternative to traditional methods of exercise to achieve the same strength gains in this population. Objective: To analyze the chronic effects of aerobic and resistance training combined with blood flow restriction on the maximal dynamic strength (MDS) of women with osteoporosis. Methods: Twenty women (61.40±4.63 years of age, 61.82±12.54 kg, 1.51±0.05 m, 27.16±5.55 kg/m²) were randomly assigned to four groups: 1 -high-intensity resistance training (HI); 2 -low-intensity resistance training with blood flow restriction (LI-BFR); 3 -aerobic training with blood flow restriction (ABFR); and 4 -control group (CG). Unilateral knee extension MDS was assessed using the one-repetition maximum (1RM) strength test before and after the 6 th and 12 th weeks of intervention. The data were analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) with a Bonferroni post-hoc test performed using SPSS (version 21.0), considering a significance level of P<0.05 for all tests. Results: Baseline comparisons showed that HI and CG had lower strength levels than LI-BFR and ABFR groups (P<0.05). The ABFR group exhibited a significant increase in MDS between the 1 st and the 6 th week (9%, P=0.001) and between the 1 st and the 12 th week (21.6%, P=0.008). The LI-BFR group exhibited increased MDS between the 1 st and the 6 th week (10.1%, P=0.001), between the 1 st and the 12 th week (24.2%, P=0.003) and between the 6 th and 12 th week (12.8%, P=0.030). The HI group exhibited a significant difference between the 1 st and the 6 th week (38.7%, P<0.001), between the 1 st and the 12 th week (62%, P<0.001) and between the 6 th and 12 th weeks (17.4%, P=0.020), whereas the CG had no significant differences between the timepoints (P>0.05). Conclusions: ABFR and LI-BFR effectively increased the MDS of women with osteoporosis.

Effects of blood-flow restricted exercise versus conventional resistance training in musculoskeletal disorders—a systematic review and meta-analysis

“…1 ). From the remaining 270 studies, 251 were excluded through title screening and abstract assessment, while 19 studies were excluded following full-text reading, and one study was excluded as SMD could not be calculated from the reported data [ 34 ]. Consequently, a total of seven studies [ 14 – 18 , 35 , 36 ] were included in the present meta-analysis.…”

Blood Flow Restriction Walking for Older Adults: A Brief Review

“…Similarly, following a shorter BFR walking intervention (i.e., 6 weeks), Abe et al (2) reported increases in isometric (11%) and isokinetic (7-16%) strength of the knee extensors and flexors, with no change reported in a no exercising control group. Pereira et al (30) (11).…”

“…Pereira et al (30) investigated the effects of BFR interventions (12 weeks duration) on dynamic muscle strength in older women with osteoporosis. The authors reported a 22% increase in leg strength in a group that performed BFR walking, whereas there was no change in leg strength for a no exercise control group.…”

Walkability and Its Relationships With Health, Sustainability, and Livability: Elements of Physical Environment and Evaluation Frameworks

“…Walking is considered a pain-free activity that does not require recovery time nor special equipment or specific training, which makes it a recommended form of physical activity for those in rehabilitation from illness or injury. Walking is often recommended for elders suffering from osteoporosis (Pereira Neto et al, 2018). Walking has also proven to be a safe activity for those recovering from cardiovascular diseases (Martinez et al, 2009;Novaković et al, 2019) or chronic musculoskeletal pain (O'Connor et al, 2015).…”