Abdominal Muscle Pump

[green]

I am fascinated by the idea that strengthening the skeletal muscles can help us improve our circulation and compensate for some of the symptoms of POTS.

Several months ago, I complained that I could find no evidence that the abdominal muscles can faciliate venous return. My complaint was motivated by the fact that rehabilitative exercise programs like Dr. Levine's have a lower body resistance training component. At that time, I could only find evidence that the calves and glutes function as pumps. So, I was unable to explain the justification for an exercise program that also includes the hamstrings, hip stabilizers, and obliques.

Well, I have since found some evidence that the abdomen can function as a muscle pump:

http://www.plosone.o...al.pone.0005550

The article discusses the potential for the abdominal muscles to return blood, like a mini-heart. They seem to indicate that it would have to be actively contracting and relaxing in order to function. It seems that they're saying this happens during breathing - normal breathing causes the abdomen to pump out blood. But, it's a little unclear to me.

[AllAboutPeace]

That's interesting...thanks for sharing that link. I will definitely be trying to figure out how I can work in some ab exercises.