The Obscure Exercise Technique Changing Injury Rehab
How blood flow restriction became the hottest method in physical therapy
For more than a century, the prevailing medical advice on the best way to heal after injury or surgery was to rest. But over the past few decades, research has made it clear that movement speeds recovery, and now experts recommend incorporating appropriate exercise into a rehabilitation program as soon as possible.
That doesn’t mean people should start squatting the day after knee surgery. Injured or repaired tissues still need time to heal before they can handle normal loads. But physical therapists are now embracing a technique they claim allows people to give their muscles the kind of workout they would normally only get from strenuous activity but using just a fraction of the load. It’s called blood flow restriction (BFR) training, and it’s one of the hottest methods in rehabilitation.
If you’re a sports fan, you may have heard of BFR. Professional sports teams were among the first organizations in the United States to adopt the method as a way to get athletes like Dwight Howard back in shape after injury. But BFR is now being touted by physical therapists as a game-changing recovery tool for anyone. “BFR is one of the most exciting research fields in the world,” says Luke Hughes…
