close
LOGINBlood Flow Restriction Training: Feel the Pressure
Luke Heath looks at the evidence for blood flow restriction training; does it benefit athletes who require rapid post-injury rehab and if so, how should it be performed.
An inevitable consequence of lower limb injuries is muscle atrophy and weakness. Rehabilitation therapists and coaches want to find ways to limit this from happening, so an athlete’s recovery is speedy, safe and injury recurrence is prevented.
A traditional method of training athletes to increase muscle size and strength is high-intensity resistance training (HIRT) with multiple sets of 5-12 repetitions at loadings greater than 70% of a single repetition maximum (1RM). However, following an injury or surgery, it may not be possible to perform HIRT. Indeed, it may even further damage healing tissue and, therefore, cannot be performed at all. By contrast, low-intensity resistance training (LIRT) at reduced intensities (20-50% 1RM) in conjunction with blood flow restriction (BFR) has been shown in research to be effective at increasing muscular hypertrophy and strength.
You need to be logged in to continue reading.
Please register for limited access or take a 30-day risk-free trial of Sports Injury Bulletin to experience the full benefits of a subscription.
TAKE A RISK-FREE TRIAL
Latest Issue
Subscribe Today
Newsletter Sign Up
Subscriber Testimonials
Dr. Alexandra Fandetti-Robin, Back & Body Chiropractic
Elspeth Cowell MSCh DpodM SRCh HCPC reg
William Hunter, Nuffield Health
Subscribe Today
Newsletter Sign Up
Coaches Testimonials
Dr. Alexandra Fandetti-Robin, Back & Body Chiropractic
Elspeth Cowell MSCh DpodM SRCh HCPC reg
William Hunter, Nuffield Health
Subscribe Today
Latest Issue
Be at the leading edge of sports injury management
Our international team of qualified experts (see above) spend hours poring over scores of technical journals and medical papers that even the most interested professionals don't have time to read.
For 17 years, we've helped hard-working physiotherapists and sports professionals like you, overwhelmed by the vast amount of new research, bring science to their treatment. Sports Injury Bulletin is the ideal resource for practitioners too busy to cull through all the monthly journals to find meaningful and applicable studies.
*includes 3 coaching manuals
Get Inspired
All the latest techniques and approaches
Sports Injury Bulletin brings together a worldwide panel of experts – including physiotherapists, doctors, researchers and sports scientists. Together we deliver everything you need to help your clients avoid – or recover as quickly as possible from – injuries.
We strip away the scientific jargon and deliver you easy-to-follow training exercises, nutrition tips, psychological strategies and recovery programmes and exercises in plain English.
