The Acute and Chronic Effects of a Heel Raise Programme on Central Blood Pressure, Arterial Compliance and Oxygen Perfusion After Stroke

Physical inactivity and increased sedentary time are linked to increased blood pressure and may cause decreases in peripheral and cerebral oxygen perfusion in stroke survivors. Nonetheless, stroke survivors are significantly less active than their healthy counterparts due to physical incapability or a lack of confidence in physical capability. This study will determine whether a simple and non-demanding movement such as repeated heel raises are able to cause acute and chronic decreases in peripheral and central blood pressure and increases in oxygen perfusion and cognitive performance. Thirty participants will be recruited to this study. All will take part in four sessions. One familiarisation session will acclimatise participants to the equipment used involving central and peripheral blood pressures, pulse wave velocity, arterial stiffness, maximal voluntary contractions of the medial gastrocnemius and Stroop tasks.. Two experimental sessions will take place involving extended sedentary time (one involving uninterrupted sedentary time and one including ten heel raises every ten minutes). A control condition of 15 participants will then be tested ten weeks post-. The experimental condition of 15 participants will undergo a ten-week heel raise prescribed programme before having peripheral and central blood pressure, pulse wave velocity, arterial stiffness, peripheral and cerebral oxygen perfusion, cognitive performance and maximal voluntary contraction of the medial gastrocnemius assessed after their programme.