Acute Effects of Ankle Bathing and Aerobic Exercise on Blood Pressure and Vascular Function in Older Adults: A Randomized Crossover Study

Purpose: Whole-body heat therapy has been shown to have favorable effects on blood pressure (BP) and vascular function, comparable to those of aerobic exercise (AE).However, it remains unclear whether ankle bathing (AB), a simple and accessible form of localized heat therapy, can elicit similar benefits for BP and vascular function.This study aimed to compare the effects of AB and AE on these variables in older adults.Methods: In a randomized crossover design, 15 older adults (seven males, 685 years) underwent two intervention trials: AB (43 ) and AE (cycling at 50%-60% of heart rate reserve), each lasting 30 minutes.Brachial and central BP, carotid arterial stiffness ( -stiffness and arterial compliance), and brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (FMD) were measured at baseline, and at 30 and 60 minutes after each trial.Results: Both AB and AE trials significantly reduced brachial systolic BP over time (p 0.05), with no significant differences between trials.Carotid -stiffness (p=0.003) and arterial compliance (p=0.012) also improved to a similar extent following both trials.There was a trend toward increased brachial artery FMD following AB (4.0%1.3% to 4.5%1.4% to 5.0%1.6%)but not following AE (4.5%1.5% to 4.6%1.8% to 4.1%1.5%;p for interaction=0.072).Conclusion: AB resulted in comparable improvements in BP and carotid arterial stiffness to AE, with a potential benefit for conduit artery function that warrants further investigation.