Blood Flow Restriction: Train Better, Rehab Smarter

A Brief History: Blood Flow restriction origins date back to the 90’s with Yoshiaki Sato creating the Kaatsu System. Over the early 2000’s early research on BFR began. However, not until recently has BFR hit the mainstream. With refined technology for objective measurements, BFR has carved a path into the training and rehabilitation world and for good reason. 

How It Works: BFR works by carefully measuring one’s blood pressure and restricting it by a specific percentage during simple exercises. This is achieved through a machine continuously monitoring and changing the occlusion pressure with a blood pressure cuff during exercise. With BFR training, the muscles are brought to a point of failure. This mimics a physiological state in muscles normal resistance training would induce. As it simulates this effect, it creates similar benefits: hypertrophy, strength gain, strength maintenance. Because the muscle is brought to failure with less weight and simple movements, the benefits of BFR exercise are gained without risk of heavy weight or complex movements.

Why Use It: No matter what someone is looking for in recovery, training, or life, this is a good tool. A main benefit from BFR, is maximal gain with minimal risk. Due to the light weight used during exercises, there is little load to the joints, tendons, and ligaments in use. Thus, BFR creates a safe avenue to train without complex movements, or heavy weights (though BFR training can be extremely fatiguing). BFR is perfect for those, who due to injury, pain, or surgery, are limited in the treatment and training rooms.

What It Feels Like: Short answer - Not lovely. The main concept behind BFR is to bring a muscle to failure. Thus, no matter what you will, “Feel the Burn”. However, through the smart cuff system and occlusion of vessels, muscles are brought to failure sooner. A typical round of training will include a few different exercises of the targeted extremity/joint, and 4 sets of 30/15/15/15 reps. Weight will be managed according to the difficulty of the last set of the exercise. Depending on the nature of injury, goal of treatment, this may vary from no weight to small incremental increases as treatment progresses.

Pinnacle Sports Clinical Application: We have many patients of all ages, sizes, athletic abilities looking for progress. Whether coming off surgery, having difficulty moving due to an acute complaint, or losing strength from chronic pain and movement loss, blood flow restrictive exercise can be of benefit. BFR is used as specifically or globally (to an extremity) as one needs. Used from professional athletes to geriatric populations, BFR is proven safe and versatile in the office.

Come by, check it out, and Reach Your Peak at Pinnacle Sports Performance and Rehabilitation!