Effects of exercise on blood flow to canine articular tissues

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Abstract
We measured articular blood flow by standard microsphere techniques in normal adult dogs at rest and during treadmill exercise. All animals but one underwent β-adrenergic blockade as part of another experimental protocol. Expressed in μl/min/g ± SEM, baseline flow values to articular tissues were: knee synovium 26 ± 4, femoral condyle 130 ± 21, tibial plateau 182 ± 29, articular fat pad 9 ± 2, knee ligaments 17 ± 3, menisci 34 ± 6, wirst synovium 19 ± 4, distal radius 65 ± 13, and lunate bone 59 ± 13. Blood flow increased with exercise in all soft tissue of both the knee (stifle joint) and the wrist (radiocarpal joint). Geometric mean exercise/rest flow ratios ranged from a low of 1.44 (p < 0.05) in the menisci of the knee to a high of 7.25 (p < 0.001) in the synovium of the wirst. In contrast, blood flow did not rise in juxtaarticular bones and fell significantly in femoral condyles (mean flow ratio 0.71, p < 0.005). These findings indicate that articular soft tissues derive increased perfusion from the redistribution of blood flow that accompanies short-term exercise. In contrast, flow to juxtaarticular bone does not increase under these conditions.