Effects of External Counter Pulsation (ECP) on Physical Recovery after Strenuous Exercise: 3714 Board #161 June 3 9

External Counter Pulsation (ECP) therapy is a non-invasive treatment that enhances blood flow and delivers oxygenated blood to the extremities through the sequential compression of the lower limbs during diastole. While ECP has been used to treat patients with chronic angina pectoris/congestive heart failure, there has been little research on the impact of ECP on healthy individuals. PURPOSE: To determine if ECP therapy impacts recovery and ability to perform after strenuous exercise. METHODS: Fifty-seven amateur athletes, 27 males and 30 females, aged 38.9 ± 11.6 years, participated in three two-hour study visits over three consecutive days. During each study visit subjects engaged in a 20 min lower-body exercise circuit while wearing a weighted vest containing 12-15% of their body weight and then completed a 10k time trial using an indoor cycling trainer. Balance and jump tests were conducted both before the exercise circuit (PRE) and following the cycling time trial (POST). Balance was the amount of postural sway over 20 sec for both right and left leg, measured using a force plate. Jump explosiveness was ground time between consecutive jumps, measured using a contact mat. Subjects who were randomly assigned to the treatment condition then received 30 min of ECP therapy, while control subjects passively recovered for 30 min while wearing thigh and calf cuffs from the ECP machine. Repeated measures ANOVA was used to examine within group differences. RESULTS: Average cycling time significantly decreased from visit 1 to visit 3 for the ECP group compared with the control group (1,524 to 1,432 vs. 1,499 to 1,479 sec; p