Blood Flow Restriction Training (BFRT)

Muscle weakness and atrophy are prevalent among musculoskeletal rehabilitation patients, causing delayed return to functional activity.

In traditional resistance training, muscle development requires exercise loads of 70% of one-repetition maximum (1RM), but the stress placed on connective tissues and joints can be detrimental to the elderly and rehabilitation patients.

Blood flow restriction therapy (BFRT) is an innovative training method for the development of muscle strength and hypertrophy in the athletic and clinical settings.

Through the combination of venous occlusion and low-load resistance training, it induces muscle development through a number of proposed mechanisms including anaerobic metabolism, cellular swelling, and induction of type 2 muscle fibres.

BFRT with loads of 20% to 40% of 1RM has been shown consistently in the literature to increase muscle strength, hypertrophy, and angiogenesis.

Vopat BG, Vopat LM, Bechtold MM, Hodge KA. Blood Flow Restriction Therapy: Where We Are and Where We Are Going. J Am Acad Orthop Surg. 2020 Jun 15;28(12):e493-e500. doi: 10.5435/JAAOS-D-19-00347. PMID: 31609881.