High-intensity exercise and passive hot water immersion cause similar postintervention changes in peripheral and cerebral shear.

Passive hot water immersion (PHWI) provides a peripheral vasculature shear stimulus comparable to low-intensity exercise within the active skeletal muscle, whereas moderate- and high-intensity exercise elicit substantially greater shear rates in the peripheral vasculature, likely conferring greater vascular benefits. Notably, few studies have compared postintervention shear rates in the peripheral and cerebral vasculature after high-intensity exercise and PHWI, especially considering that the postintervention recovery period represents a key window in which adaptation occurs. Therefore, we aimed to compare shear rates in the internal carotid artery (ICA), vertebral artery (VA), and common femoral artery (CFA) between high-intensity exercise and whole body PHWI for up to 80 min after intervention. Fifteen healthy (27 ± 4 yr), moderately trained individuals underwent three time-matched interventions in a randomized order that included 30 min of whole body immersion in a 42°C hot bath, 30 min of treadmill running and 5 × 4-min high-intensity intervals (HIIE). There were no differences in ICA ( P = 0.4643) and VA ( P = 0.1940) shear rates between PHWI and exercise (both continuous and HIIE) after intervention. All three interventions elicited comparable increases in CFA shear rate after intervention ( P = 0.0671); however, CFA shear rate was slightly higher 40 min after threshold running ( P = 0.0464) and slightly higher, although not statistically, for HIIE ( P = 0.0565) compared with PHWI. Our results suggest that time- and core temperature-matched high-intensity exercise and PHWI elicit limited changes in cerebral shear and comparable increases in peripheral vasculature shear rates when measured for up to 80 min after intervention. NEW & NOTEWORTHY The study aimed to compare shear rates in lower limb and extracranial cerebral blood vessels for up to 80 min after high-intensity exercise and whole body passive hot water immersion (PHWI). Time- and core temperature-matched high-intensity exercise and whole body PHWI both elicited minimal, but comparable, postintervention changes in cerebral artery shear rate. Furthermore, 30 min of PHWI caused a postintervention increase in femoral shear rate similar to high-intensity exercise; however, femoral shear remained slightly elevated for a longer period after high-intensity exercise. These results suggest that PHWI provides postintervention changes in lower limb peripheral shear rates comparable to intense exercise and is likely a therapeutic alternative in individuals unable to perform exercise.