Bloodflow Restriction Therapy

What is Blood Flow Restriction Therapy?

Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) therapy includes the application of a specialized blood pressure cuff to the upper arm or upper leg which results in a restriction of blood flow and oxygen to the affected limb, while performing specific strengthening exercise. BRF therapy allows recovering patients to perform exercises with light weight or very little resistance, but yields results similar to those attained when working with heavy weights or high resistance.

What are the benefits of Blood Flow Restriction Therapy?

Used in the clinical setting, BFR allows the therapist to reproduce a physiological response in a patient similar to conventional strength training, but without the need for heavy weight lifting.  This is very beneficial to patients who are in the early stages of recovery after an injury, after surgery or who otherwise cannot perform high resistance exercises.  BFR therapy has been shown to:

• Increase Growth Hormone (GH)
• Increase muscle growth and strength
• Increase the healing of tendons
• Increase bone growth
• Slow scarring
• Increase collagen synthesis

Blood Flow Restriction Therapy is used to help patients gain strength in injured or weak muscles while reducing the stress placed on the recovering limb.

At Olympic Sports & Spine, only therapists who have successfully completed advanced training in BFR therapy offer this service.  Our Physical Therapists use a surgical grade tourniquet which applies precise pressure to a patient's limb while instructing the patient to perform various exercises. The therapeutic goal is to maximize strength gains while minimizing stress on injured muscles and joints.

BFR therapy can help patients recovering from injuries such as ACL reconstruction, knee and hip replacements, rotator cuff repairs and more.