Lower-body positive pressure diminishes surface blood flow reactivity during treadmill walking

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of the lower-body positive pressure on surface blood flow during standing still and treadmill walking to explore cardiovascular safety for application to rehabilitation treatment. Thirteen healthy volunteers participated in the experiment and surface blood flows were measured in the forehead, thigh, calf, and the top of the foot during standing still and walking under various pressure conditions (0 kPa, 5 kPa, and 6.7 kPa). RESULTS: Lower-body positive pressure decreased the blood flow in the forehead and the thigh during walking (p < .05 for each), whereas an increasing trend in blood flow was observed during standing still (p < .05). Furthermore, in the forehead and thigh, the extent of blood flow increase at the onset of walking was found to decrease in accordance with the applied pressure (p < .01 for each). These findings suggest that during walking, lower-body positive pressure modulates the blood flow, which implies safeness of this novel apparatus for use during orthopedic rehabilitation treatment.