Blood flow restriction device for resistance training

Abstract

The practice of resistance training minimizes and prevents numerous effects of sarcopenia. Blood flow restriction (BFR) in combination with resistance training acts favorably in the prevention of muscular impairment, besides reducing the risk of injuries and joints overloading. The purpose of this work aims to build an electro-mechanical portable device to control occlusion pressure during resistance training sessions. The internal cuff pressure control, the comfort and the portability were the main requirements imposed for the developing project. The percent variation of the internal cuff pressure, under the action of the implemented control, was lower than 5% during the period that air pump operated; the pressure loss through the valve was 1 mmHg in 3.5 s and the deflating time, strictly related to the comfort constraint, was 4.08 s. The behavior of internal pressure during the experiment suggests that the inflatable cuff associated with a closed loop control system can be satisfactorily applied to control the occlusion pressure of the upper limbs during resistance training sessions. The developed device, using the closed loop control system, was able to control the internal cuff pressure, to achieve the comfort requirement, expressed as maximum deflating time, and its dimensions meet the portability requirements.