Exploring the perfusion modifications occurring with massage in the human lower limbs by non-contact polarized spectroscopy

Abstract

A circulatory adaptation affecting the circulation of both lower limbs seems to be part of a distal circulatory homeostatic mechanisms, in animals as in humans. This was also observed during massage with the contralateral limb responding similarly to the intervened limb. The present study is meant to explore this cooperation between limbs during massage, using a recently available non-contact polarized spectroscopy method. Six healthy volunteers (44.83 ± 12.64 years), both sexes, were submitted to two massage protocols applied in one random limb, using the other as control. Each protocol included three phases I rest, II massage and III recovery. Laser Doppler Flowmetry (LDF) and Tissue Viability Imager (TiVi) signals were obtained from both limbs and analyzed (p<0.05). Our results confirm previous observations where any intervention, massage included, affecting circulation in one of the lower limbs evokes a contralateral response in the non-intervened limb that seems to be part of the distal circulation regulation, affecting both limbs to maintain circulatory homeostasis.