Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) Training: Best post-surgical outcomes with Bellingham Physical Therapist
Post ACL Repair: BFR, Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES), and isometrics for optimal quad graft tendon healing.
Post ACL Repair BFR with split stance squats to bias surgical knee.
It was previously thought that to improve muscle strength and size, one would have to lift at least 60% of their 1 rep max weight. For standard weightlifting, muscle hypertrophy is generally trained at 65-85% max lifting capacity, which correlates to about 8-12 repetitions prior to failure. For some populations (post-op, older individuals, those rehabbing through an injury) lifting a heavy enough stimulus to trigger muscle growth could cause injury or not be tolerated. While Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) training has a number of applications, this is where BFR training is most useful.
BFR training allows an individual to build strength while training at lower resistances, about 20-40% of a 1 rep max load or about 40-60 repetitions prior to failure. BFR involves the use of pressure cuffs to restrict blood flow into the arm or leg at an individualized, specific, and safe occlusion pressure that I’ll measure prior to implementing it for treatment. This causes a hypoxic environment that triggers the hormonal cascade which typically occurs when hitting fatigue while lifting heavier loads, yielding a muscle growth response while not significantly stressing muscle, joint, and connective tissue. Research has shown that clinically it leads to better outcomes for post-surgical patients to stave off muscle atrophy, stimulate muscle growth, and recover faster.
Most places try to monopolize it and only offer it in the clinic. I teach you how to safely implement BFR at home so you can maximize its benefit by doing it more than 1-2x per week. It’s most useful early on in rehab but is also helpful for getting past training plateaus. It’s been a game changer in my clinical practice for post-op patients, and it’s becoming more and more a standard practice in physical therapy in general. If you’re struggling to regain strength or muscle recruitment at your current stage of the rehab process, I’d be happy to help coach you and get you past all of this. I inherit patients all the time from other PT clinics who were not given optimal treatment following different knee surgeries.
Some nerdy stuff if you care…
The beneficial hormonal cascade includes increased release of:
Growth Hormone: stimulates muscle growth, promotes protein synthesis, enhances fat metabolism
Insulin-Like Growth Factor (IGF-1): also stimulates muscle growth and repair. IGF-1 works in synergy with GH to promote the anabolic processes needed for muscle development
Testosterone: key hormone in muscle growth and recovery
Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF): promotes growth of new blood vessels to improve blood flow and nutrient delivery to muscles for growth and recovery.
Myokines: proteins released by muscle fibers during exercise that have a range of beneficial effects on various body systems including muscle growth, metabolic regulation, and anti-inflammatory responses.
You only get one body, and your health is an investment. You deserve to be cared for by an expert who obtains results. Please leave a voicemail if I’m unable to take your call and I’ll get back to you as soon as I’m able, or simply schedule online!
