{"id":1068,"date":"2020-11-12T15:43:13","date_gmt":"2020-11-12T15:43:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/muscleandjointphysicaltherapy.com\/?p=1068"},"modified":"2023-10-12T08:25:51","modified_gmt":"2023-10-12T13:25:51","slug":"blood-flow-restriction-therapy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/muscleandjointphysicaltherapy.com\/blood-flow-restriction-therapy\/","title":{"rendered":"Blood Flow Restriction Therapy"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Blood Flow Restriction Therapy<\/h1>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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As the saying goes, work SMARTER not HARDER!!!<\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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What is Blood Flow Restriction Therapy?<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\tBlood Flow Restriction (BFR) Therapy is a technique that uses a pneumatic cuff placed around an extremity (arm or leg) while performing exercise. The cuff is inflated to create pressure and mechanically occlude partial arterial and complete venous blood flow. This results in accumulation of metabolites that increases muscle force and promotes muscle growth. The goal of BFR is to improve muscle strength and stimulate muscle growth with low level exercise.\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Who would benefit from Blood Flow Restriction Therapy?<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\tIndividuals dealing with muscle weakness and\/or atrophy would be appropriate for blood flow\nrestriction therapy. The ideal candidates are post-operative patients recovering from\northopedic or sports medicine surgeries, however, individuals dealing with injuries or pain that\nlimits their ability to exercise are great for BFR as well. Any patient or individual that cannot\ntolerate high load and\/or high intensity exercise would be appropriate for BFR. For example,\npatients who suffer ACL tears and subsequent ACL reconstruction surgery experience muscle\natrophy and bone loss. In order to protect the graft early in their rehabilitation, high intensity\nresistance exercises are contraindicated so BFR is an option to strengthen the leg muscles\nwithout jeopardizing the surgical repair or reconstruction.\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"BFR\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"BFR\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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How does this work?<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\tMuscle strengthening and growth (hypertrophy) can be achieved using mechanical tension and\nmetabolic stress by obtaining release of hormones, hypoxia, and cell swelling. The blood flow\nrestriction technique mimics these effects by recreating the hypoxic environment using the\ninflated cuff. Due to reduction of capillary blood flow, there is an increase in protons and lactic\nacid and thus, the same physiological effects of release of hormones, hypoxia, and cell swelling\nare achieved (Spranger et al., 2015).\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Is BFR effective?<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\tStudies have shown that low intensity blood flow restriction technique results in increase in the\nlevels of muscle activation and muscle swelling without muscle damage (Wilson et al., 2013).\nShort duration, low intensity BFR technique of around 4-6 weeks has shown to cause 10-20%\nincrease in muscle strength which were similar to high-intensity exercise without BFR (Pope et\nal., 2013). A study of rehab following ACL reconstruction found that BFR combined with\nexercise mitigates muscle atrophy and facilitates early return to function (Lambert et al., 2019).\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Is BFR safe?<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\tIn the majority of cases, blood flow restriction is a safe modality to add to your exercise\nprogram but this should definitely be supervised by a licensed healthcare or rehab professional.\nOur clinicians at Muscle & Joint Physical Therapy are certified through Owens Recovery Science\nwhich is leader in the research in education on blood flow restriction therapy. We only use the\nPTS Personalized Tourniquet System for Personalized Blood Flow Restriction\nRehabilitation (PBFR) which is manufactured by Delfi Medical Innovations, Inc, a world\nleader in tourniquet technology and safety. The PTS for PBFR device is specifically\ndesigned to safely regulate and control tourniquet pressure for PBFR applications and\nincludes advanced personalization and safety features. Less expensive and less\nsophisticated devices are available but we are committed to using the best and safest on\nthe market.\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Click her for more info: \u00a0https:\/\/www.owensrecoveryscience.com<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Key Benefits of Blood Flow Restriction Therapy<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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