Abstract
Backpack load carriage has been shown to affect upper limb microvascular blood flow, nerve conduction and fine motor skills. But to the best of our knowledge Pulse Wave Analysis (PWA) measurements have yet to be reported pre- and post-carriage. PURPOSE: The aim of this study is to investigate the acute effects of backpack carriage on vascular stiffness and hand function which may inform injury prevention strategies for individuals in physically demanding occupations requiring backpack carriage. METHODS: Thirteen healthy participants (5 F, 8 M; mean ± SD of 27.1 ± 7.4 yrs, 80.1 ± 19.8 kg) recruited as a convenience sample, walked 1,609.3 m (1 mi) indoors overground at a moderate pace in a control (no load) and backpack carriage (30% bodyweight load) condition. The dominant hand of participants was recorded (11 right-handed), and PWA and pinch strength data were collected at PRE (standing) and POST (immediately after walk) timepoints. PWA measures, including calculated AIx@75 (augmentation index adjusted for BPM at 75), were acquired using SphgymoCore XCEL system. Maximal lateral pinch strengths using the thumb and index finger were taken bilaterally with a hydraulic dynamometer. Repeated measures ANOVA with Bonferroni post-hoc testing were used to compare between load conditions and timepoints. Cohen’s d was computed for effect size. RESULTS: Mean resting peripheral blood pressure was systolic 123.4 ± 13.2 mmHg and diastolic 76.1 ± 6.5 mmHg. There was no statistically significant difference for AIx@75 between conditions or between time points. For right-hand pinch strength there was a significant condition × timepoint interaction, F(1,13) = 6.15, p = .028, η² = .009. Post-hoc comparisons indicated that right-hand pinch strength decreased significantly (p=0.041) in the backpack condition from PRE (10.1 ± 3.6 kg) to POST (8.8 ± 3.5 kg). Cohen’s d demonstrated a moderate effect size (d= -0.607). No significant differences were observed for pinch strength PRE to POST in the control condition. CONCLUSION: In this initial analysis, vascular stiffness was not affected by load carriage in our sample, but walking with a backpack did result in reduced pinch strength for the right-hand after load carriage exercise.
Recommended Citation
Mower, Madison; Newcomer, Sean C.; Pinto Neto, Osmar; Feairheller, Deborah L.; and Schmidt, Deanna J.
(2025)
"Acute Effects of Backpack Load Carriage on Vascular Stiffness and Pinch Strength,"
International Journal of Exercise Science: Conference Proceedings: Vol. 14:
Iss.
5, Article 73.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/ijesab/vol14/iss5/73
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