INTRODUCTION:
Exercises with a flexible pole have been applied in clinical practice for upper limb rehabilitation. Nevertheless, its acute effects on cardiac autonomic regulation are unclear.
OBJECTIVE:
To evaluate the acute effects of exercise with flexible pole on complex behavior of heart rate variability (HRV).
METHOD:
We investigated 32 healthy female volunteers aged between 18 and 25 years who performed a session of exercise with a flexible pole. HRV was analyzed 10 minutes before and 10 minutes immediately after the exercise.
RESULTS:
Exercises with a flexible pole did not significantly change time and frequency domain indices of HRV. Non-linear analysis of HRV through the Higuchi Fractal Dimension was not significantly changed during recovery from exercise compared to the control reading at rest.
CONCLUSION:
Exercises with the flexible pole were unable to acutely change chaotic behavior of heart rate dynamics. This is advantageous for assessments of levels of rehabilitative treatment required in such patients; and their susceptibility to dynamical diseases.
KEYWORDS:
Autonomic Nervous System; Higuchi Fractal Dimension Rehabilitation Medicine
