Blood Flow Restriction Therapy (BFR)

What is Blood Flow Restriction Therapy (BFR)?

Blood Flow Restriction Training (BFR) is the brief and intermittent occlusion of venous (veins) blood flow using a tourniquet while exercising. Using this technique, you can exercise with a significantly lighter weight while still creating a hypertrophy (muscle growth) and strength response. Traditionally, to get a hypertrophy and strength response in your muscles you would need to lift a heavy load.

Is Blood Flow Restriction Training Safe?

BFR has consistently been demonstrated to be a safe modality in literature. It has been performed on thousands of subjects in the peer-reviewed literature with little to no side effects. The most common side effects after this training are residual swelling in the limb, a fatigued muscle, and mild soreness in the muscle. These are transient and usually resolve within 24 hours. If you experience prolonged swelling, fatigue, or soreness, discuss this with your physical therapist, along with any other concerns you may have.

What conditions could BFR be used for?

BFR can be used on a variety of conditions that include but are not limited to:

• ACL reconstructions
• Achilles repairs
• Rotator Cuff Repairs
• Meniscus repairs
• Total Knee Replacements
• Hip Labral Repairs
• Biceps tendon repairs
• Muscle atrophy from bed rest
• Patellar tendinitis
• Patellar tendon repairs

Where Can I Learn more?

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8811521/
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-67181-9"