Does Blood Flow Restriction (Occlusion) Training Really Work?

Posted by Jolliff on June 22nd, 2021

The Advantages of Blood Circulation Limitation Many patients in our physical therapy center are not able to lift heavy weights sometimes since of pain, immobilization, or since of surgical treatment. Blood Circulation Restriction (BFR) Training can be an excellent rehabilitation tool because it allows clients to gain the benefits of an intense heavy weight-lifting session while just requiring the client to perform low-to moderate-intensity training.

During BFR training, a patient or athlete performs high repeatings of a specific exercise while wearing a band or cuff around their arm or upper leg with use of light resistance. The following are physical changes that can occur secondary to Blood Circulation Limitation Training: Improved muscular strength Increased muscular cross sectional location Avoidance of muscular atrophy Advancement of newer and much healthier capillary Decreased danger of heart disease Enhanced bone mineral density BFR Causes Muscles to Work Harder With flexible BFR training, BFR bands are placed near one's arms and/or upper legs.

Elastic BFR bands partially limit the venous blood (oxygen deficient blood streaming from the limbs back to the heart) return. BFR workouts include durations of workout and rest.

The muscles in the limb need to work even harder to pump the venous blood past the BFR bands back to the heart. At the regional cellular level, this dam impact produces a disturbance of homeostasis lower oxygen levels in the muscle cells, acidic muscle cells, and other modifications that make the muscles tiredness rapidly, much like they would with heavy weights.

How the Brain Reacts to Changing Oxygen Levels Similar to heavy weight lifting, BFR Training permits your body to experience periods of fast flow of blood where oxygen is streaming throughout your entire circulatory system. The lack of oxygen in our limbs is notable to our body, and our main nerve system sends out the message to our brain that our limbs "aren't getting enough oxygen." It is really essential to understand that the reduced oxygen levels that our body experiences is short-lived, safe and essential for BFR to work.