Blood Flow Restriction Training

Help Reduce Your Body Stress

Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) training is a physical therapy technique used to help increase strength training gains while lifting lighter loads. This helps reduce the overall stress placed on the body while enhancing athletic performance. It is often used with patients after surgery who are restricted from lifting weights heavy enough to challenge them or when lifting heavy is painful.

How Does Blood Flow Restriction Therapy Work?

The physical therapists at ReEnvision utilize a pressure tourniquet, similar to a blood pressure cuff. The tourniquet applies a precise amount of pressure to the patient’s arm or leg while the patient performs a specific exercise, partially restricting venous blood flow. By doing this, the muscles have to work harder to pump the blood back to the heart, which provides a systemic response similar to heavy weight training.

Performing high repetitions of a particular exercise while wearing the pressure tourniquet allows for maximized strength gains while minimizing stress on the muscles and joints for patients recovering from surgery or injury.

Benefits of Blood Flow Restriction

The main benefit of BFR training is improved muscular strength as it allows the patient to reap the benefits of an intense heavy weight-lifting session while only performing low to moderate-intensity training. The other benefits of BFR training include:

  • Prevention of muscular atrophy
  • Increased cardiovascular capacity
  • Decreased joint/tissue stress
  • Reduced risk of cardiovascular disease
  • Improved bone mineral density

Who Needs Blood Flow Restriction Training?

BFR training can be helpful for individuals recovering from surgery or injury and are unable to lift heavier weights. For example, for patients who’ve had joint replacement or knee, foot, ankle or shoulder surgery, BFR training may help with recovery. 

Individuals who are also looking to improve muscular strength and endurance may benefit from BFR training.

Schedule Your Physical Therapy Appointment

The physical therapists at ReEnvision have been trained and certified in manual and therapeutic exercise, including blood flow restriction training. Curious if blood flow restriction training could help you? Give us a call at (833) 493-4325 or fill out our form below.

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