Blood Flow Restriction

Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) is a type of treatment used to help promote strength development in a targeted extremity or muscle group.  it is done by placing a specialized cuff/tourniquet system to the proximal arm or leg.  The cuff is then inflated to a specific pressure (based on the individual) to reduce the blood flow while exercising the affected arm/leg.  Typically, the exercise activity with the cuff inflated is brief (up to 5 minutes/exercise, up to 20-30 minutes total).

Current research would indicate that there seems to be a systemic anabolic (muscle building) response with the use of BFR, leading to increased muscle growth and strength gains.  the reasoning behind BFR is that it allows a patient to develop significant strength gains within the exercised muscle tissue, with lower amounts of load than what would normally be required to generate similar responses without BFR therapy.  This also puts less stress on joint, tendon, and ligament tissue during therapy due to the lower load.