Personalized Blood Flow Restriction Training

Increase strength and reduce joint stress with low intensity exercise

Injury, age or poor physical condition can prevent you from gaining muscle mass. Personalized blood flow restriction (PBFR) training is a form of rehabilitation that helps increase strength with low intensity exercise, putting less stress on your joints.

What to expect

Your physical or occupational therapist will place a cuff around your limb during exercise. The cuff is attached to a compression pump (similar to a blood pressure cuff) that causes it to inflate, keeping the blood in your muscle and temporarily preventing its flow from the area.

A personalized pressure reading is performed to ensure safe training. The amount of pressure applied will depend on your physical condition, strength needs and therapy goals.

Sessions can last from six to 30 minutes. During that time, you will perform various exercises, including strength training and aerobic conditioning.

Benefits of PBFR

As muscles relax and contract during exercise, the device maintains constant pressure, enabling:

• Fewer exercise repetitions
• Use of lighter weights
• Enhanced muscle growth
• Overall strength grains

PBFR training may help:

• Increase muscle size and strength
• Improve cardiovascular capacity
• Decrease joint/tissue stress

Good candidates for PBFR

PBFR can expedite healing and bridge the gap between rehabilitation and recovery. It has been shown to be beneficial for:

• Athletes
• Individuals with limited or restricted mobility
• Post-operative rehabilitation patients or those dealing with pain issues
• Patients seeking pre-surgery strengthening