Leg crossing with muscle tensing, a physical counter-manoeuvre to prevent syncope, enhances leg blood flow.

In patients with orthostatic intolerance, the mechanisms to maintain BP (blood pressure) fail. A physical counter-manoeuvre to postpone or even prevent orthostatic intolerance in these patients is leg crossing combined with muscle tensing. Although the central haemodynamic effects of physical counter-manoeuvres are well documented, not much is known about the peripheral haemodynamic events.

Passive leg movements and passive cycling do not alter arterial leg blood flow in subjects with spinal cord injury.

Background And Purpose: Subjects with a spinal cord injury (SCI) are at increased risk for cardiovascular disease-related secondary complications, such as pressure ulcers and attenuated wound healing. It has been suggested that passive exercise enhances blood flow via mechanical pump effects or reflex activation. The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of passive leg movements and passive cycling on the arterial circulation in subjects with SCI.