Control of skeletal muscle blood flow

During exercise muscle blood flow may increase 20 fold. The initial increase in blood flow is probably due to sympathetic activation and release of adrenaline. However the sustained increase in muscle blood flow with prolonged exercise is due to local autoregulatory mechanisms. During exercise a variety of vasoactive metabolites accumulate (e.g. adrenaline, kinins, lactic acid, CO₂ ) resulting in increased blood flow - exercise hyperaemia.