Effects of a blood flow restriction warm-up protocol on dynamic balance and muscle mechanical properties in sports science students

Purpose This study compared the effects of a blood flow restriction (BFR) warm-up versus a conventional warm-up on dynamic balance and lower-limb muscle mechanical properties in healthy, moderately active sports science students. Methods Eighteen students were recruited; one withdrew before formal measurements, and 17 completed both conditions in a randomized two-period crossover design with a 48-h interval. The matched 8–10-min protocols included cycling and lower-limb exercises; BFR-W used bilateral cuffs initially set to 50% of equation-estimated arterial occlusion pressure (AOP). Y-Balance Test (YBT) composite scores and dominant-leg MyotonPRO outcomes were assessed at baseline and in sessions starting 2 and 25 min after warm-up. A 2 × 3 repeated-measures GLM included sequence and mean-centered sex, with Greenhouse–Geisser and Holm corrections. Results Condition × time interactions were significant for right-leg YBT (Holm P = 0.0011) and rectus femoris tone, stiffness, and relaxation time (Holm P ≤ 0.0193), but not left-leg YBT or biceps femoris outcomes. Estimated right-leg YBT scores were higher under BFR-W by 2.235 percentage points at 2 min (95% CI 0.903–3.566; Holm P = 0.0319) and 3.178 at 25 min (95% CI 1.869–4.487; Holm P = 0.0020). Rectus femoris tone was higher at both follow-ups, whereas higher stiffness and shorter relaxation time were supported only at 2 min. Confidence intervals were unadjusted for multiplicity. Conclusions In this exploratory crossover study, BFR warm-up was associated with higher right-leg YBT scores at both follow-ups and acute changes in rectus femoris mechanical properties. The combined assessment of balance and muscle mechanics provides preliminary evidence on the short-term response to BFR warm-up and a basis for further evaluation of its use in pre-exercise preparation.