Skip to main content
PMC home page
The Journal of Physiology logoLink to The Journal of Physiology
. 1967 Oct;192(3):575–593. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1967.sp008318

Local and central circulatory responses to sustained contractions and the effect of free or restricted arterial inflow on post-exercise hyperaemia

A R Lind, G W McNicol
PMCID: PMC1365529  PMID: 6058994

Abstract

1. The cardiovascular responses to sustained contractions at tensions from 5 to 30% maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) have been examined. At 5 and 10% MVC blood pressure, heart rate and forearm blood flow all reached a steady state during the contraction; post-exercise hyperaemia did not show peak flows higher than those found during exercise. At tensions of 20 and 30% MVC, none of the measurements showed a steady state during the contractions, but increased steadily throughout the contraction; post-exercise hyperaemia characteristically showed peak flows in excess of any flow measured during contractions. The results obtained at a tension of 15% MVC did not show a steady-state during the contraction but the following hyperaemia showed a similar pattern to that seen at the lower tensions.

2. Digital compression of the brachial artery after sustained handgrip contractions for periods of 3 or 6 min after the contraction ended resulted in only a small reduction, on average by 5-15%, of the post-exercise hyperaemia.

3. Consideration of the evidence leads to the view that in physiological circumstances the post-exercise hyperaemia following sustained contractions bears a close relationship to the metabolism of the active muscles.

Full text

PDF

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. BARCROFT H., GREENWOOD B., WHELAN R. F. BLOOD FLOW AND VENOUS OXYGEN SATURATION DURING SUSTAINED CONTRACTION OF THE FOREARM MUSCLES. J Physiol. 1963 Oct;168:848–856. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1963.sp007226. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. BLAIR D. A., GLOVER W. E., RODDIE I. C. The abolition of reactive and post-exercise hyperaemia in the forearm by temporary restriction of arterial inflow. J Physiol. 1959 Oct;148:648–658. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1959.sp006313. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. CLARKE R. S., HELLON R. F. Hyperaemia following sustained and rhythmic exercise in the human forearm at various temperatures. J Physiol. 1959 Mar 12;145(3):447–458. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1959.sp006153. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. CLARKE R. S., HELLON R. F., LIND A. R. The duration of sustained contractions of the human forearm at different muscle temperatures. J Physiol. 1958 Oct 31;143(3):454–473. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1958.sp006071. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. DORNHORST A. C., WHELAN R. F. The blood flow in muscle following exercise and circulatory arrest; the influence of reduction in effective local blood pressure, of arterial hypoxia and of adrenaline. Clin Sci. 1953 Feb;12(1):33–40. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Gaskell W H. The Changes of the Blood-stream in Muscles through Stimulation of their Nerves. J Anat Physiol. 1877 Apr;11(Pt 3):360–402.3. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. HILTON S. M. Experiments on the post contraction hyperaemia of skeletal muscle. J Physiol. 1953 Apr 28;120(1-2):230–245. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1953.sp004888. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. HOLLING H. E., VEREL D. Circulation in the elevated forearm. Clin Sci. 1957 May;16(2):197–213. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. HUMPHREYS P. W., LIND A. R. The blood flow through active and inactive muscles of the forearm during sustained hand-grip contractions. J Physiol. 1963 Apr;166:120–135. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1963.sp007094. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. LIND A. R., TAYLOR S. H., HUMPHREYS P. W., KENNELLY B. M., DONALD K. W. THE CIRCULATIORY EFFECTS OF SUSTAINED VOLUNTARY MUSCLE CONTRACTION. Clin Sci. 1964 Oct;27:229–244. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. MCARDLE B., VEREL D. Responses to ischaemic work in the human forearm. Clin Sci. 1956 May;15(2):305–318. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. ROHMERT W. [Determination of the recovery pause for static work of man]. Int Z Angew Physiol. 1960;18:123–164. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. WHITNEY R. J. The measurement of volume changes in human limbs. J Physiol. 1953 Jul;121(1):1–27. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1953.sp004926. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from The Journal of Physiology are provided here courtesy of The Physiological Society

RESOURCES