An Overview of Blood Flow Restriction Physiology and Clinical Considerations.

The utilization of blood flow restriction has garnished considerable attention due to its widespread application and benefits that include strength enhancement, muscle hypertrophy, and increased level of function for specific populations. Blood flow restriction induces a hypoxic environment within a muscle group, initiating a metabolic cascade that stimulates muscle protein synthesis, altered gene regulation of muscle satellite cells, and increased muscle fiber recruitment, ultimately resulting in improved strength and endurance. When using blood flow restriction, consideration of the individual patient, occlusion pressure, cuff width, and cuff size are paramount.

Emotional dampening in persons with elevated blood pressure: affect dysregulation and risk for hypertension.

Background: Persons with higher blood pressure have emotional dampening in some contexts. This may reflect interactive changes in central nervous system control of affect and autonomic function in the early stages of hypertension development.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to determine the independence of cardiovascular emotional dampening from alexithymia to better understand the role of affect dysregulation in blood pressure elevations.