Blood Flow Restriction Training (BFR)

What is Blood Flow Restriction Training (BFR)?

Blood Flow Restriction Training is an exercise modality that physical therapists use to help restore muscle hypertrophy and strength by exercising under very low loads while occluding blood flow to a limb.

The outcomes yield similar results as high intensity resistance training that would normally take 8-12 weeks. However, you can achieve the same effect by exercising under relatively light loads (20-40% of 1RM) in as little as 2-4 weeks.

How does it work?

Limb-occlusion cuffs are placed around a person’s limb and are pumped to a recommended occlusion pressure that is personalized to the individual. They will exercise under this pressure to target specific muscle groups. The individual will feel muscle fatigue that is similar to working at high loads. By reducing venous return, the muscle groups are exercised under excessive fatigue, which stimulates faster muscle repair and regeneration.

BFR training is supported in research to promote increases in growth hormone, myostatin levels for protein synthesis, aerobic capacity, muscle activation potential, and reduce recovery time for muscle regeneration.

BFR training is recommended to take place 2-3x/week for 4 weeks to achieve optimized hypertrophic effect.

Who is it for?

• Post-Operative: Patients with recent surgical procedures, and consequently experience weakness and muscle atrophy, will benefit from BFR training. The patient can exercise the muscles under low intensities, and still achieve a hypertrophic effect. To respect surgical sites and tissue healing times, BFR allows the patient to achieve strength gains with loads that are safe for the healing tissue. This includes but is not limited to: 
• ACL repair 
• Meniscus repair  
• Shoulder glenoid labrum repair 
• Rotator Cuff Repair 
• Achilles Tendon Repair 
• ORIF (at any body region) 
• Late-Post-Operative (Residual Limb Atrophy): An individual with a history of surgery or injury that led to muscle weakness in their limb may achieve hypertrophic gains without heavy resistance training.  
• Patients with Load Intolerance: An individual who is not able to train at heavy loads due to pain, weakness, or tissue damage will also benefit from BFR training. They can yield significant strength gains in 2-4 weeks in the impaired muscle region without excessive tissue stress. 

Hi, and welcome to Rise Physical Therapy.

Rise exists because we believe there is a demand for honest and ethical therapy that truly makes a difference in people's lives. After years of working in healthcare, we realized that the industry had lost it's focus on the patient. So we decided to start our own clinic and focus on providing our patients the very best in one-on-one physical therapy. We wouldn't have it any other way.

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