Whole-body vibration attenuates the increase in leg arterial stiffness and aortic systolic blood pressure during post-exercise muscle ischemia

Exercise with whole-body vibration (WBV) decreases brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV), a marker of systemic arterial stiffness. To examine the effect of WBV on arterial responses, 12 young men underwent three experimental trials: (1) no-exercise control (CON), (2) static squat with WBV, and (3) static squat without WBV (no-WBV). Bilateral baPWV and femoral-ankle PWV (faPWV), carotid-femoral PWV (cfPWV), augmentation index (AIx), first (P1) and second (P2) systolic peaks, aortic systolic blood pressure (aSBP), and heart rate (HR) were assessed at rest, during 4-min post-exercise muscle ischemia (PEMI) on the left thigh, and 4-min recovery. During PEMI, right faPWV increased (P < 0.05) after no-WBV and did not change after CON and WBV. Right baPWV, P2, and aSBP increased (P < 0.05) after both exercise trials, but the increase was lower (P < 0.05) after WBV than no-WBV. The increases in cfPWV (P < 0.05), AIx (P < 0.05), P1 (P < 0.01), and HR (P < 0.05) were similar in both trials during PEMI. During recovery, right faPWV and baPWV remained similar than rest after WBV and CON, but remained elevated (P < 0.05) after no-WBV. Aortic SBP, P1, and P2 remained elevated (P < 0.05) in both exercise trials during recovery, but the levels were lower (P < 0.05) than PEMI. Left faPWV and baPWV were reduced (P < 0.05) from rest in the three trials. CfPWV, AIx, and HR returned to resting levels in both exercises. WBV prevents the increases in faPWV and attenuates the increase in baPWV and aSBP induced by post-static squat muscle ischemia due to an attenuated P2 response.