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Effects of External Counterpulsation on Performance and Recovery After Exertion

Received: 11 August 2022    Accepted: 14 September 2022    Published: 24 October 2022
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Abstract

External counterpulsation (ECP) is a safe and effective non-pharmacological therapy for the treatment of refractory angina pectoris and coronary artery disease. Emerging evidence suggests that a single ECP session may be beneficial for exercise performance and markers of recovery; however, findings have been mixed. Furthermore, it is unknown how multiple sessions of ECP influence performance and short-term recovery after repeated, daily exercise. Fifty-seven healthy adults (27 male, 30 female, 38.9 ± 11.6 years) completed three consecutive daily study visits consisting of a weighted lower-body exercise circuit and a 10k cycling time trial. Measures of recovery included balance and jump (height and explosiveness) performance, which were assessed before the exercise circuit (PRE) and following the cycling time trial (POST). Participants randomly assigned to the treatment condition received 30 minutes of ECP therapy each day, while control participants received 30 minutes of sham treatment. Repeated measures ANOVA was used to examine within and between group differences on measures of recovery and cycling time trial performance. Participants that received ECP treatment each day after strenuous exercise for three days showed improved cycling time (p = .006) and balance performance (p < .001), whereas control participants demonstrated decreased jump explosiveness performance (p = .014). Results of this study provide preliminary evidence that ECP therapy may be beneficial for use in exercise recovery and performance in healthy adult populations.

Published in American Journal of Sports Science (Volume 10, Issue 4)
DOI 10.11648/j.ajss.20221004.11
Page(s) 84-91
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

ECP, EECP, Exercise, Recovery, Fatigue, Vasodilation, Sequential Compression

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Cite This Article
  • APA Style

    Steven Tally, Merissa Kado-Walton, Naomi Hillery, David Wing, Michael Higgins, et al. (2022). Effects of External Counterpulsation on Performance and Recovery After Exertion. American Journal of Sports Science, 10(4), 84-91. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajss.20221004.11

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    ACS Style

    Steven Tally; Merissa Kado-Walton; Naomi Hillery; David Wing; Michael Higgins, et al. Effects of External Counterpulsation on Performance and Recovery After Exertion. Am. J. Sports Sci. 2022, 10(4), 84-91. doi: 10.11648/j.ajss.20221004.11

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    AMA Style

    Steven Tally, Merissa Kado-Walton, Naomi Hillery, David Wing, Michael Higgins, et al. Effects of External Counterpulsation on Performance and Recovery After Exertion. Am J Sports Sci. 2022;10(4):84-91. doi: 10.11648/j.ajss.20221004.11

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ajss.20221004.11,
      author = {Steven Tally and Merissa Kado-Walton and Naomi Hillery and David Wing and Michael Higgins and Erik Groessl and Jeanne Nichols},
      title = {Effects of External Counterpulsation on Performance and Recovery After Exertion},
      journal = {American Journal of Sports Science},
      volume = {10},
      number = {4},
      pages = {84-91},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ajss.20221004.11},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajss.20221004.11},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajss.20221004.11},
      abstract = {External counterpulsation (ECP) is a safe and effective non-pharmacological therapy for the treatment of refractory angina pectoris and coronary artery disease. Emerging evidence suggests that a single ECP session may be beneficial for exercise performance and markers of recovery; however, findings have been mixed. Furthermore, it is unknown how multiple sessions of ECP influence performance and short-term recovery after repeated, daily exercise. Fifty-seven healthy adults (27 male, 30 female, 38.9 ± 11.6 years) completed three consecutive daily study visits consisting of a weighted lower-body exercise circuit and a 10k cycling time trial. Measures of recovery included balance and jump (height and explosiveness) performance, which were assessed before the exercise circuit (PRE) and following the cycling time trial (POST). Participants randomly assigned to the treatment condition received 30 minutes of ECP therapy each day, while control participants received 30 minutes of sham treatment. Repeated measures ANOVA was used to examine within and between group differences on measures of recovery and cycling time trial performance. Participants that received ECP treatment each day after strenuous exercise for three days showed improved cycling time (p = .006) and balance performance (p p = .014). Results of this study provide preliminary evidence that ECP therapy may be beneficial for use in exercise recovery and performance in healthy adult populations.},
     year = {2022}
    }
    

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  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - Effects of External Counterpulsation on Performance and Recovery After Exertion
    AU  - Steven Tally
    AU  - Merissa Kado-Walton
    AU  - Naomi Hillery
    AU  - David Wing
    AU  - Michael Higgins
    AU  - Erik Groessl
    AU  - Jeanne Nichols
    Y1  - 2022/10/24
    PY  - 2022
    N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajss.20221004.11
    DO  - 10.11648/j.ajss.20221004.11
    T2  - American Journal of Sports Science
    JF  - American Journal of Sports Science
    JO  - American Journal of Sports Science
    SP  - 84
    EP  - 91
    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2330-8540
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajss.20221004.11
    AB  - External counterpulsation (ECP) is a safe and effective non-pharmacological therapy for the treatment of refractory angina pectoris and coronary artery disease. Emerging evidence suggests that a single ECP session may be beneficial for exercise performance and markers of recovery; however, findings have been mixed. Furthermore, it is unknown how multiple sessions of ECP influence performance and short-term recovery after repeated, daily exercise. Fifty-seven healthy adults (27 male, 30 female, 38.9 ± 11.6 years) completed three consecutive daily study visits consisting of a weighted lower-body exercise circuit and a 10k cycling time trial. Measures of recovery included balance and jump (height and explosiveness) performance, which were assessed before the exercise circuit (PRE) and following the cycling time trial (POST). Participants randomly assigned to the treatment condition received 30 minutes of ECP therapy each day, while control participants received 30 minutes of sham treatment. Repeated measures ANOVA was used to examine within and between group differences on measures of recovery and cycling time trial performance. Participants that received ECP treatment each day after strenuous exercise for three days showed improved cycling time (p = .006) and balance performance (p p = .014). Results of this study provide preliminary evidence that ECP therapy may be beneficial for use in exercise recovery and performance in healthy adult populations.
    VL  - 10
    IS  - 4
    ER  - 

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Author Information
  • Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science, University of California, San Diego, USA

  • Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science, University of California, San Diego, USA

  • Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science, University of California, San Diego, USA

  • Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science, University of California, San Diego, USA

  • Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science, University of California, San Diego, USA

  • Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science, University of California, San Diego, USA

  • Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science, University of California, San Diego, USA

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