BACKGROUND: In-hospital physical therapists work on the effects of hypoactivity or inactivity of bedridden patients. In daily practice, contraction of the calf muscle is commonly performed by health professionals in hospitals, especially in pre- and post-operative periods as a form of reducing venous stasis and risk of deep venous thrombosis in the lower limbs. OBJECTIVE: To assess venous flow volume at the calf muscle pump using color Doppler ultrasound during active and passive kinesiotherapy (ankle plantar flexion). METHODS: The sample consisted of 30 individuals randomly selected and submitted to color Doppler ultrasound of the right popliteal vein, aiming to measure blood flow volume in four periods: rest, manual calf compression, active and passive ankle movement in plantar flexion. The t test was used for statistical analysis, and p < 0.05 was used as an index of statistical significance. RESULTS: The sample consisted of 16 females and 14 males. Means were as follows: age (31.57 years), height (1.68 m), weight (68.25 kg), and body mass index (24.16). Statistical analysis showed that passive ankle plantar flexion was significant when compared to baseline (p < 0.000056) as to calf pump muscle activation, although not as much as active exercise (p < 0.0000016). Manual compression of the triceps surae muscle in relation to passive exercise was also significant (p < 0.000000081). CONCLUSION: In this study, active ankle plantar flexion proved statistically more effective than passive exercise in calf muscle pump activation, increasing blood flow volume in the popliteal vein and minimizing venous stasis in the lower limbs.
Physical therapy; calf muscle pump; color Doppler ultrasound
