Studies on the Effect of Exercise on Cardiovascular Function

Attempts to follow changes in blood pressure induced by exercise, using indirect sphygmomanometry, have yielded conflicting results. In the following study, blood pressure measurements were made at rest (standing), during a standard treadmill work load, and during a six-minute recovery period, using a direct method and a suitably damped recording system. It was found that during exercise systolic pressure rises and that diastolic pressure falls, the net result being very little change in the mean pressure. In some subjects there is a secondary rise in all three items between 10 and 30 seconds after cessation of exercise. Changes in pulse rate during exercise and recovery are also discussed.