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Blood flow restriction to arms

 
 
Reply Mon 30 Oct, 2017 11:05 am
Drs.
I had a situation that I would like to know if I should be concerned about. I am a very healthy 51 year old man. Excellent diet, vitals, exercise history, etc. I’m 6-1 and 192#. Great blood pressure, cholesterol, triglycerides, and resting pulse rate. No known health issues.
My question arises from a highly strenuous hike that I had to do on Saturday. I had a heavy (approximately 80#) pack that I needed to bring out of a mountainous location 3.4 miles, all above 8000 ft. The problem was that the pack wasn’t a good choice for the situation but I didn’t want to go out and come back in with the right one. So I took it out on the poor pack which doug into my shoulders cutting off circulation to my arms. My arms would go numb and I would loose grip strength. I found myself sweating well beyond what I would think to be normal based on my experience in this arena. I have done similar trips numerous times in the past. Moreover, I know my heart rate went very high, 160+, as I became increasingly dehydrated as I ran out of water for the last mile and a half. When I got back to the pickup I was so dehydrated that I couldn’t keep water down. I adjusted my intake and rehydrated over the next 8-10 hours. Everything was back to normal the next morning and I returned for a second load the next day, this time only a mile and a half, with the right pack. Similar load, no shoulder pressure, and no circulation restrictions, uneventful hike.
While I certainly plan on not finding myself in a similar situation again, my question is should I be concerned if I do? Namely, does severely restricted bloodflow to extremities for extended periods while dehydrated pose a health risk? I was never short of breath, nor did I have any chest pains or the like. I was highly fatigued and my legs were cramping the final 1/4 mile down a steep slope.
Thank you in advance for your time and help.

Dave
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PUNKEY
 
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Reply Mon 30 Oct, 2017 03:04 pm
How do you know the bad pack straps digging into your shoulders caused your discomfort? Where specifically were the pressure points?
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