Foam roller intervention improves blood flow for pregnant women on bed rest

Key takeaways:

• Lower limb venous blood flow improved for pregnant women on bed rest who underwent a foam roller intervention.
• The intervention was associated with reduced deep vein thrombosis risk and muscle atrophy.

For pregnant women on bed rest, a foam roller intervention improved lower limb venous blood flow compared with controls, mitigating deep vein thrombosis risk and muscle atrophy, researchers reported.

“Although effective in some instances, current prevention strategies for deep vein thrombosis and muscle atrophy in pregnant women on bed rest have limitations,” Huimin Gu, MD, from the department of nursing at the Women’s Hospital School of Medicine at Zhejiang University in China, and colleagues wrote. “Anticoagulants, such as low-molecular-weight heparin, can easily cause subcutaneous bleeding and plain, leading to emotional distress. The misuse of physical preventive measures, such as medical compression stockings, can lead to lower limb oedema and phlebitis, while foot vein pumps and inflatable pressure devices are expensive and complex, their misuse can cause arterial ischemia. Furthermore, studies on the prevention and treatment of lower limb muscle atrophy in pregnant women on bed rest remain limited, hindering the development of targeted preventive methods.”

Gu and colleagues conducted a single blind, randomized controlled trial with 86 pregnant women aged younger than 40 years who were prescribed long-term bed rest for 7 days or more and had a gestational age of at least 20 weeks. Women assigned to the intervention (n = 44) completed strength training exercises using a foam roller typically used for yoga exercises with routine venous thrombosis prophylaxis. Women in the control group (n = 42) received standard care, including medical compression stockings and regular exercises. Researchers evaluated lower limb blood flow velocity, D-dimer levels, deep vein thrombosis incidence and the extent of lower limb muscle atrophy in both groups at baseline and day 7 of the intervention.

The findings were published in BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth.

Prior to intervention, researchers observed no significant differences in peak blood flow, mean blood flow velocity, D-dimer values or leg circumference between the experimental and the control groups. After 7 days of intervention, women who used a foam roller had higher mean and peak blood velocities in femoral and popliteal veins (P < .05), lower mean D-dimer levels (P = .03) and smaller reductions in thigh and calf circumference (P < .001).

In addition, thigh muscle atrophy rate was slower among women in the experimental group; calf muscle atrophy was similar between the two groups.

Researchers observed no cases of deep vein thrombosis in either group.

“[Foam rolling intervention] is inexpensive and portable, enhancing exercise adherence among pregnant women,” the researchers wrote. “In particular, it is suitable for women who manage their pregnancy at home. Considering these benefits, the promotion and application of foam rolling intervention in obstetrics are warranted.”