Athletico Physical Therapy is proud to announce the offering of blood flow restriction (BFR) training services through a partnership with B StrongTM, a blood flow restriction (BFR) training company. BFR rehabilitation uses a specialized restrictive device to put individualized amount of pressure on an exercising arm or leg in order to minimize the effects of limited extremity use, shorten rehab time and enhance patient outcomes.
“B StrongTM stood out to us in terms of the safety, ease of use, and versatility of the product in combination with the expertise and support of Dr. Stray-Gundersen and the team behind B StrongTM,” said Grant Koster, Senior Vice President of Clinical Operations at Athletico Physical Therapy. “We’ve seen great results in some of our tests sites and the affordability of B StrongTM now allows us to offer BFR training company-wide, so we can continually provide our patients the best, safest, and most effective treatment services possible.”
Utilization of BFR technology combats the loss of muscle in an injured limb during the inactive period after injury. With BFR, a rehabilitation professional may be able to manipulate the athlete’s protein synthesis into a positive state. This way patients are able to get the benefits that accompany heavy lifting early in the recovery process before they are cleared and/or if they don’t have the strength for it. Numerous patients could benefit from BFR rehabilitation, including those recovering from: knee ligament reconstructions, Achilles repairs, fractures, knee cartilage repairs, muscle strains, nerve injuries, rotator cuff repairs, severe musculoskeletal trauma, symptomatic knee osteoarthritis and total joint replacement.
During BFR training, patients wear inflatable belts around the upper portion of the arms and/or legs to safely slow the flow of blood in the limb. The belts are inflated to individualized pressures prescribed by the B Strong Training SystemTM, and simple, low-load exercise produces muscle burn comparable to intense anaerobic training. This strong fatigue produces hypertrophy and strength gains on par with traditional weight lifting exercises.
Tests have shown that when combining low weight exercises with BFR, there is an augmented protein synthesis response including a 46 percent rise in protein syntheses three hours post training with BFR at low loads. Additionally, the application of BFR for two weeks after ACL surgery reduced atrophy in the quadriceps by more than half on repeat MRI imaging. A second ACL study found that patients utilizing BFR were able to restore quadriceps strength to 91 percent of the pre-operative level compared to only 64 percent in the group receiving standard care [iii].
“Athletico has constantly shown a desire to lead and push the boundaries of physical therapy,” said Sean Whalen, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of B StrongTM. “As a leader in the field of BFR training, it’s an honor for us to be working so closely together to help deliver the best care and service to the public. We’ve seen amazing results with our product, and are excited to help expand B StrongTM’s impact to every Athletico facility in the country.”
About Athletico Physical Therapy
Athletico Physical Therapy provides the highest quality orthopedic rehabilitation services to communities, employers and athletes in over 400 locations throughout eleven states with more than 4500 employees. Athletico is committed to our patients and referring physicians through our patient-centric focus, positive work environment, attention to quality and high standard of care. Athletico measures patient outcomes and satisfaction and is dedicated to continuous improvement. Athletico was named #1 Workplace in Chicago, “Best Physical Therapy Practice in the Nation” by ADVANCE magazine, Top Workplace in the Nation and has been recognized as a leader in employee volunteering and charitable giving. Our services include physical and occupational/hand therapy, workers’ compensation, women’s health therapy, concussion management and athletic training. For more information, or to schedule a free injury screening, please visit www.athletico.com and follow us on Twitter at @athletico.
