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PubMed2026

Effects of blood flow restriction training combined with resistance training on lower-limb strength and sport-specific performance in athletes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: In contemporary sports science, athletes and coaches continuously explore strategies to reduce training load and injury risk while increasing muscular strength and sport-specific performance. This meta-analysis evaluated the effects of blood flow restriction training (BFRT) combined with resistance training (RT) on lower-limb muscle strength and sport-specific performance in athletes. METHODS: Relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were systematically searched across major databases (e.g. PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane, CNKI, Wanfang Data, and Embase) from inception until November 2024. Two independent reviewers carefully assessed the studies. Data analysis was carried out using RevMan 5.4 software, which included heterogeneity testing, meta-analysis, subgroup analysis, and assessment of publication bias. RESULTS: Ten RCTs (181 athletes; 91 in the BFRT and RT group, 90 in the control group) were included. Outcomes determined BFRT combined with RT yielded notable enhancements in lower-limb muscle strength (SMD = 1.09, 95% CI [0.52, 1.66], p < 0.05) and muscle hypertrophy (MD = 1.09, 95% CI [0.10, 2.09], p < 0.05) compared to control training. However, no significant improvement in sport-specific performance was found (SMD = 0.11, 95% CI [-0.18, 0.40], p = 0.46). Substantial heterogeneity was observed for strength outcomes (I2 = 75%), whereas low heterogeneity was observed for sport-specific performance and hypertrophy outcomes (I2 = 0%). No evidence of significant publication bias was detected. CONCLUSION: BFRT combined with RT appears to provide effective augmentation of lower-limb muscle strength and hypertrophy in athletes compared to RT or conventional training alone. It may be prudent to integrate this approach systematically into training cycles to optimize physiological muscle stimulation and training outcomes, despite not directly improving sport-specific performance.

Humans↗

PubMed1993

Ensuring the health of the adolescent athlete. Council on Scientific Affairs, American Medical Association.

There are an estimated 3.3 million boys and 1.8 million girls participating in interscholastic athletics. Although the preparticipation athletic examination (PAE) has traditionally focused on ensuring the health of the athlete, there has been growing interest in using the PAE to also screen adolescents for their involvement in health-threatening behaviors, such as smoking, drinking, drug use, and unsafe sexual practices. For 80% to 90% of adolescents, the PAE substitutes for a routine physical examination. Adolescent athletes may use alcohol and other drugs for three reasons: (1) They experiment with alcohol and other drugs as part of the larger youth culture. (2) They use ergogenic agents to enhance their athletic performance. (3) They use diuretic agents, emetic agents, or other excessive mechanisms to control weight. The American Medical Association concludes that administration of the PAE is an appropriate time to investigate involvement in health-risk behaviors and to provide adolescent health information.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1999

Current use of adequate preparticipation history forms for heart disease screening of high school athletes.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the proportion of US high schools using sports preparticipation evaluation (PPE) forms containing the 3 elements of the medical history currently recommended for screening young athletes for heart disease, including questions about exercise-related symptoms, previous diagnosis of heart murmur or high blood pressure, and family history of early myocardial infarction or sudden death. DESIGN: A random, population-based mail survey was conducted of 500 US high schools. The survey was mailed to the athletic trainer at each school. Each trainer was asked to complete and return a brief survey along with a copy of the PPE form used at that school. PARTICIPANTS: High schools employing an athletic trainer who is a member of the National Athletic Trainers Association. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: The proportion of PPE forms containing all 3 components of the recommended cardiac screening history, RESULTS: Of the 500 high schools surveyed, 254 (50.8%) responded. Of the PPE forms received, 47 (25.3%) included questions about exercise-related symptoms, 97 (52.2%) included questions about a previous diagnosis of heart murmur or high blood pressure, and 57 (30.7%) had questions about a family history of early myocardial infarction or sudden death. Only 32 (17.2%) of the PPE forms received contained all 3 components of the recommended cardiac screening history. CONCLUSIONS: Only 17.2% of high schools in this nationwide survey use PPE forms that contain all the elements of the cardiac history recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics for identifying young athletes at risk for sudden death.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1995

Back pain in young athletes. Significant differences from adults in causes and patterns.

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether there are significant differences in the causes of back pain in young athletes compared with the general adult population and to review the diagnosis and assessment of young athletic adolescent patients who present with this complaint. DESIGN: Retrospective randomized case comparison study with two cohorts segregated by age and type of activity. SETTING: The adolescent sports medicine clinic of a children's hospital compared with the acute low back pain clinic of an orthopedic hospital. PATIENTS: One hundred adolescent athletes (aged 12 to 18 years; mean age, 15.8 years) with a chief complaint of low back pain were compared with 100 adults (aged 21 to 77 years; mean age, 31.9 years) with acute low back pain. INTERVENTIONS: None. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES/RESULTS: Sixty-two percent of the adolescents had derangements of their posterior elements associated with the onset of back pain. Forty-seven percent of the 100 adolescents were ultimately shown to have a spondylolysis stress fracture of the pars interarticularis. By contrast, 5% of adult subjects were found to have spondylolysis associated with low back pain. Similarly, discogenic back pain was the final diagnosis in 48 of the 100 subjects in the adult group, while 11 of the 100 in the adolescent group had back pain attributable to disc abnormalities. Muscle-tendon strain accounted for back pain in 27% of the adults, while only 6% of the adolescents were diagnosed as having muscle-tendon strain. These differences were significant. Spinal stenosis and osteoarthritis as causes of back pain were encountered in 10% of the adults, while these conditions were not encountered in the children. CONCLUSIONS: There is a significant differences in the major causes of low back pain in young athletes compared with causes of low back pain in the general adult population. Physicians diagnosing back pain in young athletes must have a specific understanding of these differences to avoid incorrect diagnosis and harmful delays in proper treatment.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2000

Body mass prediction from skeletal frame size in elite athletes.

Body mass can be estimated from measures of skeletal frame size (stature and bi-iliac (maximum pelvic) breadth) fairly accurately in modern human populations. However, it is not clear whether such a technique will lead to systematic biases in body mass estimation when applied to earlier hominins. Here the stature/bi-iliac method is tested, using data available for modern Olympic and Olympic-caliber athletes, with the rationale that these individuals may be more representative of the general physique and degree of physical conditioning characteristic of earlier populations. The average percent prediction error of body mass among both male and female athletes is less than 3%, with males slightly underestimated and females slightly overestimated. Among males, the ratio of shoulder to hip (biacromial/bi-iliac) breadth is correlated with prediction error, while lower limb/trunk length has only a weak inconsistent effect. In both sexes, athletes in "weight" events (e.g. , shot put, weight-lifting), which emphasize strength, are underestimated, while those in more endurance-related events (e.g., long distance running) are overestimated. It is likely that the environmental pressures facing earlier hominins would have favored more generalized physiques adapted for a combination of strength, speed, agility, and endurance. The events most closely approximating these requirements in Olympic athletes are the decathlon, pentathlon, and wrestling, all of which have average percent prediction errors of body mass of 5% or less. Thus, "morphometric" estimation of body mass from skeletal frame size appears to work reasonably well in both "normal" and highly athletic modern humans, increasing confidence that the technique will also be applicable to earlier hominins.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Longitudinal growth study of male Japanese junior high school athletes.

The aim of this study was to establish the pattern of adolescent growth in height of male Japanese athletes, and to compare their growth with appropriate controls. The sample consisted of 126 baseball, 39 basketball, 83 soccer, and 53 volleyball players, and 36 nonathletes. The data were collected retrospectively in six public schools in Fukui Prefecture of Western Japan between 1970 and 1987. All subjects were measured at yearly intervals between the age of 6 and 18 years. The total number of measurement occasions for the 337 subjects amounted to 4,134. Athletes trained between 13 and 18 h/week. Individual growth patterns were determined by fitting Preece Baines model I to each individual's serial data. Various biological parameters were derived from the fitted curves. The results indicated that the average growth pattern of these adolescent athletes did not differ substantially from the control group. Volleyball players were significantly taller at 18 years (+3 cm) than the nonathletes (Student's t-test, P < 0.05). Soccer players showed a slight tendency towards late maturation with age at take-off and at peak velocity about half a year later than in nonathletes (Student's t-test, P < 0.05). The 2.3 cm gain in body height due to the later onset of the pubertal growth spurt in soccer players was counterbalanced by a 0.7 cm smaller prepubertal height and a 0.9 cm smaller adolescent gain, so that they ended up slightly, but not significantly, taller than the controls (+0.7 cm). The small differences in growth pattern observed between the nonathletes and the various sports suggest that, in contrast with top-level athletes, body size and maturation rate were not important selective factors in the various groups of athletes of the present study.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2006

The influence of athletic activity on the plantar fascia in healthy young adults.

PURPOSE: Complaints deriving from the plantar fascia are relatively common in athletes. This study aimed to investigate the changes of thickness of plantar fascia via sonography in healthy young adults with different levels of activity. PATIENTS AND METHODS: One hundred ten adults with normal body mass index were separated into three groups according to activity level: sedentary (group 1, n = 50), athletic activity less than 7 hours per week (group 2, n = 30), and athletic activity 7 or more hours per week (group 3, n = 30). The thicknesses of the plantar fascia at origin and at a point 5 mm distal to origin were measured via sonography. RESULTS: The mean values of the thickness of the proximal plantar fascia (PFp) and the distal plantar fascia (PFd) in group 1 were similar to those of groups 2 and 3 (p > 0.05). The mean values of PFp and PFd were significantly higher in men than in women (p < 0.05). The mean values of PFp and PFd were similar in left and right feet (p > 0.05). There were moderate positive correlations between PFp and weight, height, and body mass index but no correlation between PFp and amount of athletic activity. CONCLUSIONS: The thickness of the plantar fascia at origin did not change with athletic activity at the amateur level.

Adult↗

PubMed1996

Growth hormone responses to treadmill sprinting in sprint- and endurance-trained athletes.

The purpose of the present study was to examine the growth hormone (GH) response to treadmill sprinting in male (M) and female (F) sprint- and endurance-trained athletes. A group of 11 sprint-trained (ST; 6M, 5F) and 12 endurance-trained (ET; 6M, 6F) athletes performed a maximal 30-s sprint on a nonmotorized treadmill. Peak power and mean power expressed in watts or in watts per kilogram body mass were higher in ST than in ET (P < 0.01) and in the men compared to the women (P < 0.01). Serum GH was greater in ST than in ET athletes, but was not statistically significantly different between the men and the women [mean peak GH: ST 72.4 (SEM 12.5) compared to ET 26.3 (SEM 4.9) mU.1(-1), P < 0.01; men 59.8 (SEM 13.3) compared to the women 35.8 (SEM 7.4) mU.1(-1), n.s.]. Plasma ammonia and blood lactate concentrations were higher and blood pH lower during 1 h of recovery after the sprint in ST compared to ET (all P < 0.01). Multiple log linear regression showed that 82% of the variation in the serum peak GH response was explained by the peak power output and peak blood lactate response to the sprint. As serum GH was still approximately ten times the basal value in ST athletes after 1 h of recovery, it is suggested that the exercise-induced increase in GH could have important physiological effects in this group of athletes, including increased protein synthesis and sparing of protein degradation leading to maintained or increased muscle mass.

Adult↗

PubMed1993

Haematological and iron-related parameters of male endurance and strength trained athletes.

To obtain more information on the effects of long-lasting endurance and strength training on the constituents of the blood, several haematological and iron-related parameters were measured at rest in 39 male athletes from the Polish team who participated in the Olympics in Seoul in 1988. The athletes were divided into two groups: endurance-trained subjects (group E, cyclists, canoeists and rowers; n = 22) and strength-trained subjects (group S, wrestlers and judo; n = 17). The control group was composed of untrained male subjects (n = 48). Blood samples were taken from an antecubital vein with the subject at rest for determinations of haemoglobin concentration ([Hb]), packed cell volume (PCV), erythrocyte (RBC) and reticulocyte count, plasma free haemoglobin concentration, haptoglobin concentration, serum iron, transferrin concentration and ferritin concentrations ([Ferr]); red blood cells were used for estimation of glutamato-oxalate transaminase (GOT) activity and free erythrocyte protoporphyrin concentration ([FEP]). The mean [Hb], PVC, RBC measured in the E athletes were significantly lower than in the control group but were comparable to those obtained in the S atheletes. There were no significantly differences in the haematological indices [mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean copuscular haemoglobin and mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration] between the groups of atheletes and the control group. A significant increase in reticulocytosis and GOT activity was observed in the endurance-trained athletes. No impairment of erythropoiesis was observed as indicated by several sensitive markers of haemoglobin formation (FEP, MCV and inspection of blood smears) in the athletes.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗

PubMed1985

Oxygen uptake kinetics in trained athletes differing in VO2max.

Previous work has shown that when VO2 kinetics are compared for endurance trained athletes and untrained subjects, the highly trained athletes have a faster response time. However, it remains to be determined whether the more rapid adjustment of VO2 toward steady state in athletes is due to VO2max differences or training adaptation alone. One approach to this problem is to study the time course of VO2 kinetics at the onset of work in athletes who differ in VO2max but have similar training habits. Therefore, the purpose of these experiments was to compare the time course of VO2 kinetics at the onset of exercise in athletes with similar training routines but who differ in VO2max. Ten subjects (VO2max range 50-70 ml . kg-1 . min-1) performed 6-minutes of cycle ergometer exercise at approximately 50% VO2max. Ventilation and gas exchange were monitored by open circuit techniques. The data were modeled with a single component exponential function incorporating a time delay, (TD); delta VO2t = delta VO2ss (1-e-t-TD/tau), where tau is the time constant delta VO2t is the increase in VO2 at time t and delta VO2ss is the steady-rate increment above resting VO2. Kinetic analysis revealed a range of VO2 half times from 21.6 to 36.0 s across subjects with a correlation coefficient of r = -0.80 (p less than 0.05) between VO2max and VO2 half time. These data suggest that in highly trained individuals with similar training habits, those with a higher VO2max achieve a more rapid VO2 adjustment at the onset of work.

Adult↗

PubMed1991

Functional torque-velocity and power-velocity characteristics of elite athletes.

Technical limitations of some isokinetic dynamometers have called into question the validity of some data on human muscle mechanics. The Biodex dynamometer has been shown to minimize the impact artefact while permitting automatic gravity correction. This dynamometer was used to study quadriceps muscle torque and power generation in elite power (n = 6) and elite endurance (n = 7) athletes over 12 randomly assigned isokinetic velocities from 30 degrees.s-1 to 300 degrees.s-1. The angle at peak torque varied as a negative, linear function of angular velocity, with the average angle across test velocities being 59.5 degrees (SD 10.2 degrees). Power athletes developed greater peak torque at each angular velocity (P less than 0.05) and experienced a 39.7% decrement in torque over the velocity range tested. Endurance athletes encountered a 38.8% decline in peak torque. Torques measured at 60 degrees of knee flexion followed a similar trend in both groups; however the greatest torques were recorded at 60 degrees.s-1 rather than at 30 degrees.s-1. Leg extensor muscle power increased monotonically with angular velocity in both power (r2 = 0.728) and endurance athletes (r2 = 0.839); however these curves diverged significantly so that the power athletes produced progressively more power with each velocity increment. These inter group differences probably reflected a combination of natural selection and training adaptation.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Health status of former elite athletes. The Finnish experience.

Physical activity is an important aspect of health behavior and life-style, when considering the possibilities to prevent premature deaths and sustain functional capacity. We studied former Finnish male athletes and controls to investigate the effects of long-lasting participation in vigorous sports on health, and the main findings are reviewed here. The athletes represented Finland between the years 1920-1965 at least once in international competitions. The following sports were selected: track and field athletics, cross-country skiing, soccer, ice hockey, basketball, boxing, wrestling, weight lifting, and shooting. The full name, place and date of birth were traced for 2613 (97.7%) men. The referent subjects (N = 1712) were selected among those Finnish men who, at the age of 20, were classified completely healthy at the medical examination for induction into military service. In most analyses we grouped the sports according to the type of training needed to achieve maximal results, i.e., principally aerobic training, principally anaerobic training or mixed. In 1985, a questionnaire on physical activity, health and health habits was mailed to surviving former athletes and referents (N = 2851, 65.9% of the original cohort). Follow-up for morbidity and mortality was based on national medical registries. We found that former aerobic sports athletes (endurance and mixed sports) in particular have high total and active life expectancy and low risk for ischemic heart disease and diabetes in later years. On the other hand, they have slightly higher risk for lower-limb osteoarthritis. Overall, the benefits of physically active life-style on health were clearly higher than the adverse effects.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Sports-specific features of athlete's heart and their relation to echocardiographic parameters.

Chronic physical training may induce morphological and useful functional adaptations which affect all cardiac chambers. Morphological modifications are mainly modest and far from pathologic ones. All these adaptations seem helpful for sport's performance. Hemodynamic and neurohumoral stresses depend on the muscular exercise type performed, static or dynamic. However, sports-specific adaptive cardiac structural changes are yet debated. Actually, it appears that highly trained athletes develop a left ventricular fair combination of cavity dilatation and increased wall thickness. Thus, it is not possible to clearly separate a strength-trained from an endurance-trained athlete's heart. However, this review shows that some specific cardiac adaptations mainly linked to the specific training stimulus may be observed. Dilatation slightly predominates in dynamic endurance-trained athletes whereas increased wall thickness slightly predominates in dynamic resistance- and static-trained athletes. Thus, assessment of athletes' echocardiographic parameters should take into account both sport and training specificities practiced, in terms of quantity and contents.

Adaptation, Physiological↗

PubMed2006

Increased serum resistin in elite endurance athletes with high insulin sensitivity.

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: Resistin is an adipokine associated with obesity and type 2 diabetes in animal models, but in humans its role remains uncertain. This study was undertaken to test whether serum resistin is related to insulin resistance and markers of low-grade inflammation in elite athletes taken as a model of extreme insulin sensitivity. SUBJECTS MATERIALS AND METHODS: In 23 elite athletes (sprinters, middle-distance and marathon runners) and in 72 sedentary men including lean and obese individuals with NGT, and obese individuals with IGT or new-onset type 2 diabetes, we assessed insulin sensitivity using a whole-body insulin-sensitivity index (WBISI) derived from a 3-h OGTT; energy homeostasis was also assessed by means of indirect calorimetry, along with circulating adipokines and low-grade pro-inflammatory cyto-chemokines. RESULTS: Professional athletes had increased WBISIs (p<0.001) and lipid oxidation (p<0.03); they also showed higher serum resistin concentrations (p<0.001), although the pro-inflammatory chemokines were not increased in comparison with the other study groups. Resistin was independently associated only with fasting plasma NEFA. Increased resistin was detected in the middle-distance and marathon runners, but not in the sprinters when compared with the lean, young, sedentary individuals. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: Serum resistin concentration is increased in elite athletes, providing evidence against the notion that resistin levels reflect insulin resistance in humans, as seen in animal studies. Increased resistin was observed in aerobic-endurance, but not sustained-power athletes and this feature appeared to be independently associated with parameters of fatty acid metabolism.

Adiponectin↗

PubMed1999

Treatment of reduced bone mineral density in athletic amenorrhea: a pilot study.

There is considerable concern about the adverse effects on the skeleton of loss of menstrual function as a result of athletic activity, as well as uncertainty as to how it should be managed clinically. In a pilot intervention study 34 elite middle and long-distance runners, aged 18-35 years, with menstrual irregularity due to their athletic activity were randomized to three groups: (A) to receive hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and 1000 mg calcium per day (n = 10), (B) to receive 1000 mg calcium per day (n = 14), (C) a control group who received no treatment (n = 10). Bone mineral density (BMD) was measured in the left hip and lumbar spine (L2-4) using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Results were first analyzed according to whether menstruation returned, either naturally or secondary to HRT (EU), and compared with those from subjects who remained amenorrheic (AM). During the first year BMD increased in the EU group in Ward's triangle (3.8%) and the lumbar spine (4.1%; both P < 0.05). BMD fell in the AM group in all regions and the between-group differences were 5.6% (p < 0.02) in Ward's triangle, 5.8% (p < 0.02) in L2-4 and 3.9% in the trochanter (p < 0.05). An 'intention to treat' analysis was then performed. It was found that the mean relative improvement at 1 year in spinal BMD was only 1.5%, due to return of menses in some of the controls and withdrawals from treatment in the treatment group. In consequence, a trial designed to show, with 80% power and 5% significance, a measurable benefit in lumbar spine BMD resulting from allocation to HRT treatment would require about 1150 athletes with amenorrhea or oligomenorrhea. These numbers could be reduced substantially to 380 subjects by confining the trial to completely amenorrheic athletes, who in this study were less likely to regain menses. For these and other logistical reasons, an HRT trial in amenorrheic athletes could only be successfully organized through international collaboration. This study illustrates the major effects of treatment withdrawals and instability of menstrual status on the design of longitudinal studies on the bony effects of menstrual dysfunction prior to menopause.

Absorptiometry, Photon↗

PubMed1997

Pelvic stress injuries: the relationship between osteitis pubis (symphysis pubis stress injury) and sacroiliac abnormalities in athletes.

OBJECTIVE: To demonstrate with radiographic imaging the association between pubic stress injury and sacroiliac abnormalities in athletes. DESIGN AND PATIENTS: Eleven athletes (9 men and 2 women), comprising seven male long-distance runners, one male soccer player, one male and two female basketball players, were imaged with plain films for complaints of pubic symphysis pain, sciatica, groin pain, or a combination of these complaints. In addition to the plain films, four patients were imaged with CT, two patients had MR imaging, and a bone scan was performed in three patients. Anteroposterior plain films of the pelvis of 20 patients without back pain or pubic pain were evaluated for comparison as a control group (ages 18-72 years, average 49 years; 11 women and 9 men). RESULTS: All athletes showed plain film evidence of either sclerosis, erosions or offset at the pubic symphysis. Four had avulsion of cortical bone at the site of insertion of the gracilis tendon. Four patients demonstrated sacroiliac joint abnormalities on plain films consisting of sclerosis, erosions and osteophytes, and in one of these athletes, bilateral sacroiliac changes are present. Two patients with normal sacroiliac joints on plain films had a bone scan showing increased radionuclide uptake bilaterally at the sacroiliac joints. One patient with both plain film and CT evidence of sacroiliac abnormalities had an MR examination showing abnormal signal at both sacroiliac joints and at the pubic symphysis. A sacral stress fracture was found on CT in one patient with complaints of sciatica. In the control group, six patients, all over the age of 55 years, had mild sclerosis of the symphysis, but no plain film evidence of sacroiliac abnormalities. CONCLUSION: We have found a group of athletes in whom stress injuries to the pubic symphysis are associated with changes in the sacroiliac joint as demonstrated by degenerative changes or in the sacrum as manifested as a sacral stress fracture. These findings are probably due to abnormal stresses across the pelvic ring structure that lead to a second abnormality in the pelvic ring. The abnormality in the sacrum is not always well seen with conventional imaging. Recognition of the association of stress injury of the symphysis with back pain is important in that it can help avoid inappropriate studies and diagnostic confusion.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2005

Right ventricular myocardial performance index and exercise capacity in athletes.

Right ventricular function is important for exercise capacity in athletes. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of habitual exercise training on right ventricular global function. Fifty-two male athletes (25 runners, 27 wrestlers) and 43 age-matched sedentary male subjects were studied. All subjects in the study underwent an echocardiography examination and cardiopulmonary exercise test. Maximal oxygen consumption, right ventricular cavity diameters, and diastolic parameters were higher in the athletes than in controls. However, the right ventricular myocardial performance index was lower in athletes compared with controls. Therefore, the right ventricular myocardial performance index showed a negative correlation with maximal oxygen consumption (r=-0.61; P<0.001). The right ventricular myocardial performance index may reflect changes in right ventricular function and exercise capacity in athletes.

Adaptation, Physiological↗

PubMed2005

The physiological response of ankle systolic blood pressure and ankle to brachial index after maximal exercise in athletes is dependent on age.

The development of sports activities in the over forties has increased the number of middle-aged patients performing heavy-load exercise. The normal response of ankle systolic blood pressure (ASBP) and ankle to brachial index (ABI) to intense exercise is known in young athletes, but little is known for other age groups. Three groups of 21 athletes: <20 (G1), 20-40 (G2), and >40 (G3) years old, respectively, were studied. ASBP and brachial systolic blood pressure (BSBP) were measured simultaneously before and after an incremental maximal cycle ergometer test. Rest ABI was higher in G3 compared to G1 (P<0.001: ANOVA, Bonferroni). Compared to respective resting values, BSBP, at 1 min of recovery, was increased for the three groups of age (P<0.001) whereas ASBP was unchanged for G1 and G2, and significantly increased for G3 (P<0.001). ASBP was significantly higher in G3 than in G1 and G2, ABI was lower in G1 and G2 compared to G3: 0.70+/-0.11, 0.76+/-0.09 and 0.91+/-0.14, respectively. This age-related ABI increase is consistent with the impaired vasodilator capacity observed in aging normal subjects but not with the decrease observed in ABI resting values in epidemiological studies. ABI is higher in older than in younger athletes at rest and after exercise. In aging athletes, aiming to detect mild to moderate arterial lesions, it is likely that normal limits defined in young athletes are not valid.

Adolescent↗