Isometric Handgrip Training on Blood Pressure of Peripheral Artery Disease Patients

Effects of Isometric Handgrip Training on Blood Pressure Reduction in Patients With Peripheral Artery Disease: A Randomized Clinical Trial

The aim of this study is to analyze the effects of isometric handgrip training (IHT) on blood pressure of hypertensive patients with peripheral arterial disease. Will be recruited 60 patients which will be randomized into 2 groups (30 per group), IHT and control group (CG). IHT group will training isometric contraction for 8 weeks. The GC patients will be encouraged to increase the level of physical activity. In the pre and post-intervention, brachial and central blood pressure will be measured.

Meta-analyze studies have shown that IHT promotes reductions in blood pressure (BP), reaching 10 mmHg for systolic and diastolic 7 mmHg. However, remain uncertain the effects of this type of training on BP in patients with more severe cardiovascular diseases such as peripheral artery disease. Because this type of training which requires approximately 20 minutes per session and does not require supervision, it is possible that this intervention is interesting to reduce BP of these patients. The aim of this study is to analyze the effects of IHT on blood pressure of hypertensive patients with peripheral arterial disease. Will be recruited 60 patients, which will be randomized into 2 groups (30 per group), IHT and control group (CG). IHT group will hold three sessions per week with four unilateral sets with two minutes of isometric contraction at 30% of maximal voluntary contraction and interval of four minutes between them, for 8 weeks. The GC patients will be encouraged to increase the level of physical activity. In the pre and post-intervention, is going to be evaluated functional capacity, brachial and central BP, arterial stiffness, cardiovascular autonomic modulation and muscle vasodilation. Will be used to analyze two-factor variance for repeated measures, with group (IHT and GC) and the time (before and after 8 weeks) as factors and the post-hoc test of Newman-Keuls.

Inclusion Criteria:

• postmenopausal without hormone therapy replacement, if woman;
• present peripheral artery disease (ankle brachial index < 0.90) in one or both lower limbs;
• do not present neurological / cognitive diseases;
• is able to practice home-based exercise;

Exclusion Criteria:

• patients will only be excluded if they make any medication changes before completing the intervention period or present any health problems that prevent physical activity.