Observational studyPloS one2026
Investigation of arterial blood flow changes according to compression level in a practical blood flow restriction training method: A cross-sectional experimental study.
Observational study in PloS one, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundBlood flow restriction (BFR) training is used to partially restrict limb blood flow during exercise. Practical blood flow restriction (pBFR) applications often rely on subjective pressure scales; however, the extent to which perceived compression levels influence arterial blood flow remains unclear. This study aimed to examine changes in popliteal artery blood flow velocity across different subjective compression levels during pBFR.
methodsThis cross-sectional observational study included 42 healthy physically active adults (18-37 years). pBFR was applied to the dominant thigh using a 5 cm elastic band wrapped twice around the proximal thigh. Participants reported perceived compression as free flow (0/10), light (3-4/10), moderate (6-7/10), and high (9-10/10). Popliteal artery blood flow velocity and vessel diameter were measured using Doppler ultrasound. Repeated-measures ANOVA was used to compare outcomes across compression levels. Pearson correlation analyses were performed to examine associations among blood flow velocity, thigh circumference, and skinfold thickness. Analyses were conducted using pooled male and female data.
resultsBlood flow velocity progressively decreased with increasing compression. Significant differences were observed between all compression levels (p < 0.001). Blood flow velocity values were significantly correlated across compression levels. No significant associations were found between anthropometric measures and blood flow velocity. Complete arterial occlusion was not observed in any participant.
conclusionsSubjective pBFR compression levels were associated with graded reductions in popliteal artery blood flow velocity under the present experimental conditions. These findings reflect acute hemodynamic responses at rest and should not be generalized to exercise adaptations. Anthropometric characteristics were not associated with blood flow responses. Further research is needed to determine the translational relevance of subjective compression levels during exercise.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.