Blood Flow Restriction Therapy

Blood flow restriction therapy (BFR) is an application of brief and intermittent pressure with a tourniquet that occludes blood flow in a limb. With this application, you can exercise at significantly lower intensities and loads while still creating the growth and strength response in the body that is needed to get stronger. Traditional resistance training guidelines recommend that people lift weight greater than 65% of their 1 repetition maximum over 12-16 weeks to achieve strength gains. With the application of BFR, people can achieve similar gains with lower loads.

Your PT and/or OT will use a special system to find your personalized pressure for blood flow occlusion while monitoring the response and maintaining safety. We will also discuss any possible contraindications to this treatment before beginning as it may not be for everyone.

Once your personalized pressure is determined, you will begin exercise based on your rehab. Although you are lifting lighter weight than “normal” while exercising, you will still feel like you are working hard and we expect a typical response to exercise after you have completed your session as well including swelling, muscle fatigue, and muscle soreness.

The application of BFR with high repetition, low load exercise has been determined to have the same positive effects of strengthening at lower repetition, high load exercise. These effects include an increase in lactate, an increase in natural growth hormone, and an increase in muscle protein synthesis. Research has also shown a reduction in pain after performance of BFR.

BFR can be used in many different situations including, but not limited to: