Simple blood pressure band improves athlete performance
December 17, 2010
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Elizabeth Haggarty Toronto Star
Canada’s athletes might just have an edge at London’s 2012 Olympic Games, thanks to a simple device used to check on your blood pressure.
Restricting blood flow to the arms of elite athletes can dramatically improve their performances, a team of researchers at Toronto’s Sick Kids Hospital have found.
“We had learned previously that reducing blood flow and the amount of oxygen into the arm causes the body to react by creating a molecule that circulates around the body and protects organs from low blood flow,” said one of the study’s authors Dr. Greg Wells in an interview with the Star.
While the technique is normally used to prepare patients for organ transplants or other surgeries, Wells and Dr. Andrew Redington decided to test the effect it would have on the performance of 16 national and international swimmers at the University of Toronto and University of British Columbia.
“Since competitive sports races involve pushing the body to such an extent that the blood levels actually decreased in the body we figured that we might be able to improve an athlete’s performance by performing this technique,” said Wells.
And it did.
Twelve of the swimmers tested were able to swim faster, at lower blood lactate levels and sustain a higher stroke rate. On average they showed a 1 to 1.5 per cent improvement, or the equivalent to two years of training.
The technique did not involve a new, high-tech device, but instead utilized the blood pressure cuffs you normally see once a year when your family doctor takes your blood pressure.
Wells pointed out that the arm was chosen as an optimal spot out of convenience (he had tried restricting the flow in his own leg, but the arteries were too deep to limit blood flow.)
While the technique may seem a quick fix to your sporting woes, Wells points out that it should not be applied by just anyone before they jump into the pool.
“Restricting blood flow is dangerous,” says Wells. “It is not something for people to do trying out at home. It has done under medical supervision because you can really hurt yourself if it is not done well.”
If approved, the technique will be applied to some of Canada’s athletes at the London 2012 Olympics.
And for those looking to improve their morning run times, Redington is working to develop a commercial version that can be expected in the next few years.
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