Did You Know Blood Flow Restriction Could Help You Achieve Your Physical Goals?
If you've seen someone weightlifting with bands wrapped around their biceps recently, they're probably trying out a new training method known as Blood Flow Restriction Training, or BFR. Blood flowing Training aims to keep arterial blood flowing to a muscle while preventing venous blood from returning. This type of exercise, also known as occlusion training, entails wrapping, banding, or cuffing the leg or arm while exercising.
This training plan is advantageous because it can induce muscle adaptations at considerably lower weights. BFR is supposed to provide many of the same benefits as heavy lifting while avoiding muscle damage. Blood Flow Restriction Training also improves post-workout recovery and minimizes atrophy during injuries.
If you would like to learn more about the benefits of blood flow restriction at our clinic, give us a call today!
How does blood flow restriction work?
The restriction of blood flow is predicated on the widely held belief that the therapies cause a "local hypoxic event," The tissues in the afflicted area are briefly deprived of oxygen.
While this may appear to be a threat, local hypoxia aids in accumulating additional metabolites. This process regulates the body's anabolic response system (how the body grows muscle protein) during exercise.
In essence, reducing blood flow in the affected area aids in the development of more muscle protein.
With personalized blood flow restriction devices, such as the Personalized Tourniquet System (PTS) that we offer, you can safely regulate the amount of tourniquet pressure for your specific needs. According to the Owens Recovery Science website, personalized blood flow restriction comes with several benefits, including but not limited to:
- Increasing hypertrophy with only 30% loads
- Improving muscle endurance in 1/3 the time
- Improving muscle protein synthesis in the elderly
- Enhancing strength and hypertrophy after surgery
- Improving muscle activation
- Increasing growth hormone responses
- Diminishing atrophy and loss of strength from disuse and non-weight bearing after injuries
- Increasing strength with only 30% loads
Blood flow restriction can provide pain relief.
The compression devices used during blood flow restriction treatments are similar to blood pressure cuffs. The pressure created by these compression devices is high enough to occlude blood flow at 50-80% within the affected muscles. Research has proven the safety of this device.
At your initial appointment, one of our physical therapists specializing in blood flow restriction will conduct a physical evaluation, analysis of medical history, and discussion of symptoms to determine if blood flow restriction will be the best course of treatment for you.
Blood flow restriction has been utilized to treat practically any upper or lower body ailment and a kind of post-surgery rehabilitation. The compression device itself measures the recommended amount of pressure for the affected area for the patient to complete each targeted workout and get the intended results.
The purpose of restricting blood flowing during the workouts is to exhaust the damaged area to activate the body's natural healing and tissue-building processes. This will help you heal faster so you can return to your sport as soon as possible.
After treatment, muscle soreness may occur for the next day or two, and “limb fatigue” may occur for 20-30 minutes but should disappear shortly.
Other information about blood flow restriction
Blood flow restriction can be implemented in conjunction with other forms of exercise, such as walking, running, or resistance training. In fact, exercise programs that include both BFR and low-load resistance training appear to have numerous positive effects on the muscle compared to workouts that utilize resistance training alone.
This treatment method appears to increase strength, promote hypertrophy (increased muscle size), increase muscle activity, and increase post-exercise muscle protein synthesis. The BFR and resistance training combination has also shown growth hormone elevations in conventional resistance training. Programs that incorporate resistance training with BFR and low loads (20 – 30% of 1RM) appear to increase strength.
If you are pregnant or have cardiac disease, high blood pressure, or varicose veins, you should consult a physician before trying Blood Flow Restriction Training.
Call our clinic to get started today
If you are recovering from an injury or surgery and are interested in participating in blood flow restriction training treatments, don't hesitate to contact us today. Our licensed physical therapists are highly trained in performing this treatment, and they would love to discuss how it may benefit you personally.
When performing the exercises, the intended goal of blood flow restriction is to tire out the affected area to stimulate the body's natural healing and tissue-building processes. This process uses 30% of the normally required loads with the same desired benefits.
This significant reduction in required load is less stress on any joint, thus allowing strengthening to occur where traditional strengthening wouldn't suffice. The result is accelerated strengthening
so that you can reach your goals more quickly.
Contact us today to schedule a consultation and get started on the path toward overall functional improvement!
