What is Blood Flow Restriction Rehabilitation?
Blood flow restriction rehabilitation (BFR) uses a specialized inflatable device on an exercising extremity. It is inflated to a specific pressure intermittently to reduce blood flow to the area of the body. BFR technology minimizes the effects of limited extremity use, shortens rehab time, and has been shown to enhance outcomes.
How Does Blood Flow Restriction work?
- Inflatable belts are worn around the upper portion of the arms and/or legs to safely slow the flow of blood in the limb
- The belts are inflated to individualized pressures prescribed by the system
- Simple, low-load exercise produces profound muscle burn comparable to intense anaerobic training
- This strong fatigue produces hypertrophy and strength gains on par with traditional weight lifting exercises
Why Choose Blood Flow Restriction?
Low load exercise combined with BFR combats one of the most problematic conditions occurring in rehabilitation: the loss of muscle in the injured limb during the inactive period after injury.
Patients who could benefit from BFR Rehabilitation include those recovering from:
- Knee ligament reconstructions
- Achilles repairs
- Fractures
- Knee cartilage repairs
- Muscle strains
- Nerve injuries
- Rotator cuff repairs
- Severe musculoskeletal trauma
- Symptomatic knee osteoarthritis
- Total joint replacement
Learn more about Blood Flow Restriction Therapy from an Athletico Physical Therapist near you!