What is the applicability of this for stroke rehab? WHOM do we go to to answer that simple question? There is no stroke leadership so survivors are screwed.
Blood Flow Restriction: Ideal For Rehabilitation
Written By: Vint Schoenfeldt PT, DPT, MPT, MTC, CSCS
Almost every patient seen in physical therapy needs to increase their strength to improve their functional ability. The dilemma that exists is that most of these patients are unable to lift the weight necessary to make strength gains due to joint injury, soft tissue injury, recent post-op status, or inability.
The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) has stated that a person needs to lift at least 70% of their one repetition maximum to increase strength and hypertrophy.1 This load is often unattainable while they are in therapy. We often think that exercising with light resistance bands and small dumbbells will help our patients achieve the strength gains they need to fully recover and tolerate the demands of life and sport. This goes against the ACSM standards of exercise dosing. So, this creates a problem and disrupts what most therapists have been taught regarding the concepts of strengthening.
The
addition of blood flow restriction (BFR) during exercise requires that
the patient lift only 20-40% of their one repetition maximum to see
strength and hypertrophy gains.2,3 This weight is very light
compared to the weight that they would have to lift in a high intensity
workout to see comparable gains.
Blood flow restriction (BFR) involves the application of a cuff or tourniquet to the proximal aspect of the limb while exercising with a personalized cuff pressure that is a set percentage of the individual’s limb occlusion pressure (the amount of pressure it takes to fully block all blood flow into the limb).4,5 This partial arterial occlusion allows the limb to become hypoxic, and this decrease in oxygen results in the initiation of several physiological pathways that result in increased muscle size and strength, increased blood capillary formation, bone strengthening, and analgesic effects.5-12
There are many applications for BFR, from athletes to the elderly. It can be used in many ways along a continuum of care beginning with passive BFR for those unable to exercise, during cardiovascular exercises such as a stationary bicycle or treadmill walking, and finally during strengthening exercises.
There is an abundance of research exploring the safety of BFR, and it has been shown to be safe.13-17 Proper training and use of the proper equipment are necessary for safe, effective BFR treatments.
To learn more about blood flow restriction, attend my live workshop, “Blood Flow Restriction for Rehabilitation,” taking place in 2021, to learn the proper use and application of this exciting treatment approach in the clinical setting.
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