Abstract
This pilot study aimed to evaluate the differential effects of a remote ischemic preconditioning
(rIPC) manoeuvre on performance and red blood cell (RBC) deformability compared to
a sham control and a placebo setting. Ten male subjects performed three test settings
in a single-blind, crossover, and randomized control design. All settings started
with 20 min of rest and were followed by 4 cycles of occlusion/reperfusion consisting
of 5 min each. During rIPC and placebo, the cuff pressure was inflated to 200 mmHg
and 120 mmHg, respectively. During the sham control setting, 10 mmHg pressure was
applied. All tests were followed by a cycle exercise with lactate diagnostics. Power
at 2 and 4 mmol/l lactate thresholds were calculated. RBC deformability was measured
before and after the respective manoeuvre. Results showed that no effect resulted
from any manoeuvre on performance values or RBC deformability. But 6 subjects showed
a higher power at the 2 mmol/l threshold, and 5 subjects exerted higher power at the
4 mmol/l threshold when the rIPC manoeuvre preceded the exercise. In these responsive
subjects, RBC deformability also improved. Hence, rIPC effects are much influenced
by the subjects’ responsiveness, and improved RBC deformability might contribute to
enhanced performance in responsive subjects.
Key words
remote ischemic preconditioning - red blood cells - performance - lactate - deformability
- cycling
