The effect of ischaemic preconditioning on sprint triathlon performance and sensory parameters in athletes

Objective: The purpose of the present study is to investigate the effects of ischaemic preconditioning (IPC) on triathlon performance, physiological and sensory parameters in athletes. Method: Twenty seven athletes, who have the sports licences at least 3 years were participated into the study. Body composition, heart rate, blood pressure and tactile, pressure-pain and odor tests were measured in the resting state, afterwards, triathlon performances were measured. Two weeks later, the athletes were applied sham, and IPC protocols seperated by two weeks. After 2 months, chronic sham and chronic IPC protocols for one week at 2 weeks intervals were applied. The tests were repeated after acute and chronic sham and IPC protocols. IPC was applied to bilateral thigh region 4 times with 220 mmHg pressure for 5 min ischemia and 0 mmHg pressure for 5 min reperfusion cycle using sphygmomanometer. In sham application, the same cycle was applied as 0 mmHg. The results obtained in this study were presented as mean + SD. Paired t-test was used for comparison between measurements. Results: It was found that the total triathlon duration of the athletes was shortened after acute and chronic sham and IPC, pulse and blood pressure values and odor index decreased after acute IPC, and the pain threshold increased after chronic IPC. Conclusion: In conclusion, acute and chronic IPC were found to be effective on triathlon performance, heart rate, blood pressure and sensory parameters in athletes. Key words: remote ischaemic preconditioning, exercise, pain threshold, odor index, athletes