If you are interested in BFR training, please contact a certified professional prior to starting. The gold standard blood flow restriction training device is the Delphi Personal Tourniquet System from OwensRecoveryScience.com. This device contains a Doppler ultrasound within the blood flow restriction cuff. This means that Physio Sport & Spine in Cheyenne has the most accurate way possible to measure blood flow in the extremity and can precisely occlude the appropriate amount of flow while you
Watch a ESPN Video about BFR Here to see the same unit used at Physio Sport & Spine in action
The Delphi Blood Flow Restriction device is and FDA-listed device. The FDA defines full or partial vascular occlusion under “tourniquets” and the use of Owens (surgical grade) tourniquets for safer and optimal outcomes If you are a patient who wishes to use BFR training, you can feel safe with its use compared to the other versions. Why not it’s your health after all.
Personalized blood flow restriction is the application of a specialized tourniquet system to an injured limb to temporarily reduce the amount of blood in the exercising limb. By doing this, you allow a patient the ability to lift very light weights and still see similar results as lifting heavy.
Specifics about BFR training. (From Owens Recovery)
This technique was researched and applied extensively on Wounded Warriors who had suffered blast trauma at the militaries flagship amputee facility the Center for the Intrepid in San Antonio Texas. The initial results were amazing, the military published these results in the Special Forces Medical Journal. They now apply it throughout the DOD, especially within the Special Forces, and have a number of large clinical trials on the way.
This type of rehabilitation has seen wide success in the military and college and professional teams. Owens Recovery Science, the company that trains clinicians in BFR and distributes the units in the US, has over 106 college and professional teams. The BFR system is finalizing clearance in Europe and training and application should start over there within the next couple of months.
Many professional and college teams are also utilizing this technique for performance improvement. Examples include the use of it throughout a competitive season so the athletes don’t have to lift heavy weights with an upcoming game or older athletes whose joints may not be able to tolerate heavy loads.
When people are injured they start to lose muscle mass through a process called anabolic resistance, basically the muscle slows it’s ability to synthesize protein. This results in significant amounts of muscle loss in the injured limb. Previously, the only known way to reverse this process was through lifting heavy weights. Unfortunately, you can’t do that after injury or surgery and lifting lightweights, which is what typically occurs in rehabilitation, does not reverse or slow this process. Researchers have demonstrated that lifting lightweights while under blood flow restriction can reverse this process and has similar results to lifting heavy weights.
There are at least 14 clinical trials currently studying the effects of BFR in clinical populations looking at everything from sports injuries to healing tendons and broken bones.
Current trials (enrolling did not include pilot data trials):* Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries (7) * Total Knee Replacements * Tendinopathies * Wrist Fractures * Cartilage Injuries * Fractures (femur) * Chronic Weakness after Surgery * There are published papers demonstrating improved functional changes, strength, muscle size and reduced pain in clinical populations such as ACL, knee scopes, anterior knee pain and females with arthritis.