Having a hard time lifting heavy after an injury? BFRT (Blood Flow Restriction Training) can help you maintain muscle and progress through your rehab plan quicker. There are a lot of misconceptions out there about BFRT. Read below for some myth debunking.
1. It occludes all of the blood flow from your limb. This is not true. For most uses of BFRT, blood flow is restricted between 30-80% for the desired effect.
2. It’s dangerous – This is also not true. There is no evidence to support an increased risk of blood clots or other events following BFRT in healthy subjects. During a training session, blood flow is typically restricted for 2-3 minutes at a time, and then allowed during rest. Most common orthopedic surgeries require complete restriction for >50 minutes at a time and still have a very low rate of blood clots. In fact there is evidence to support that BFRT INCREASES local blood flow after use.
3. It damages muscles – This is not true. One of the best parts of BFRT is that you don’t have to lift as heavy to achieve a similar result. Therefore there is actually less muscle damage during exercise. This doesn’t mean that you won’t be sore, as soreness can be related to muscle damage and metabolic changes in muscle following work outs, however it does mean that your soreness is not due to tearing of muscle fibers.
If you are an active adult or youth athlete in the Buffalo, NY area looking to get out of pain and back to what you love doing, send us a message to schedule a free 15-minute phone call to discuss your situation. We will help you figure out the next best steps forward to resolve your issue.