Blood Flow Restriction is a strengthening method that can have interesting hypertrophic effects mainly during the first phases of your rehabilitation.
This tool developed in the 1960s in Japan was initially known as Kaatsu Training, but has been updated and included in rigorous clinical studies since 2009. It is now used in our centre under the name BFR training.
With the help of a compression sleeve, pressure is applied to the root of your leg or arm, partially or totally reducing the blood supply to your muscle. A consequent metabolic stress will generate a reaction chain leading to hypertrophy, particularly in the muscle being used.
This pressure is not applied at random, it must be personalised at each session by following a precise protocol with the help of an ultrasound scanner equipped with a Doppler – which we have in the centre – or a sound Doppler – which we also have.
What’s the advantage?
These expected effects are observed at light efforts with low loads (+/-30% of your max), i.e. loads which allow us to control your body’s reactions following the strengthening session.
Other interesting effects have been found in recent clinical studies and will be published in the near future, notably on VO2Max, angiogenesis or on bone growth and production factors… Effects that we also look for when necessary (fatigue fracture, bone fracture, growth disease in young people,…).
In short, the Blood Flow Restriction technique, as we use it at C2rK, allows us to bridge the gap between the body weight exercises in your rehabilitation protocols and the heavy loads encountered in the phases of resuming sport in complete safety.