Acute Intraocular Pressure Responses to Resistance Training in Combination With Blood Flow Restriction

ABSTRACT

Objective: To determine the effect of blood flow restriction (BFR) applied to the legs at different pressures (40% and 60%) on intraocular pressure (IOP) during the execution of ten repetitions maximum (10RM) in the half-squat exercise. Methods: Quasi-experimental, prospective study with 17 healthy physically active subjects (9 males and 8 females; 24.1 ± 4.2 years). Two sessions were conducted. The 10RM load was determined in the first session. The second session consisted of 10RM under three BFR conditions (no-BFR, 40%-BFR, and 60%-BFR) that were applied in random order. IOP was measured before each condition, immediately after each repetition, and after 1 minute of passive recovery. A two-way repeated-measures ANOVA (restriction type [no-BFR, 40%-BFR, and 60%-BFR] x measurement point [basal, repetitions 1–10, and recovery]) was applied on the IOP measurements. Results: A significant main effect of the BFR condition (p = .022, ƞp² = 0.21) was observed due to the significantly higher mean IOP values for the 60%-BFR (19.0 ± 0.7 mmHg) compared to the no-BFR (18.0 ± 0.8 mmHg; p = .048, d_unb = 1.30). Non-significant differences with a large effect size were reached between 60%-BFR and 40%-BFR (18.1 ± 0.8 mmHg; p = .081, d_unb = 1.16) and between no-BFR and 40%-BFR (p = .686, d_unb = 0.18). IOP increased approximately 3–4 mmHg from baseline to the last repetition. Conclusions: Low-pressure BFR (40%-BFR) in combination with moderate-load (10RM load) resistance exercise could be an effective and safe strength training strategy while avoiding IOP peaks associated with heavy-load resistance exercises. These findings incorporate novel insights into the most effective exercise strategies in individuals who need to maintain stable IOP levels (e.g., glaucoma patients).

KEYWORDS:

• Glaucoma
• Kaatsu
• squat exercise
• strength

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the subjects and the research assistants involved in data collection. Specifically, we would like to thank Alba Doménech Ibañez for her help during data collection.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.