BFR & Electrostimulation - combining modalities to accelerate injury recovery

BFR Radio

Hi everyone,

With this episode of BFR Radio I was inspired by a recent post from a colleague who started to use a combination modality of BFR and Electrostimulation (EMS) for an athlete who was going through post ACL surgery rehab. Traditionally EMS requires a high level of intensity for it to be effective which is problematic for those who are in the acute postoperative stage. This is where the authors thought that the combination of BFR with a lower level of EMS may prove to be useful.

Before you head off and listen to the podcast, a few exciting updates:

• This week I am at the ASCA annual conference on the Gold Coast. I will have my Sports Rehab Tourniquets there to try and I am also debuting a new strength machine that I have developed. To date I haven't not seen this machine before so potentially a world debut.
• I am running a Brisbane BFR workshop on Saturday 23 November. Tickets can be purchased online only through eventbrite. There are lots of links through my social media and blog post. Click on this link to purchase your ticket Click on this link to purchase your Brisbane BFR Workshop Ticket (direct link to Eventbrite page)

Hope you enjoy the podcast.

The Effects of Blood Flow Restricted Electrostimulation on Strength and Hypertrophy. Slysz JT, Burr JF. J Sport Rehabil. 2018 May 1;27(3):257-262. doi: 10.1123/jsr.2017-0002. Epub 2018 May 22. Abstract CONTEXT:

The combined effect of neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) and blood flow restriction (BFR) on muscle mass and strength has not been thoroughly investigated.

OBJECTIVE:

To examine the effects of combined and independent BFR and a low-intensity NMES on skeletal muscle adaptation.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:

Subjects had each leg randomly allocated to 1 of 4 possible intervention groups: (1) cyclic BFR alone, (2) NMES alone, (3) BFR + NMES, or (4) control. Each leg was stimulated in its respective intervention group for 32 minutes, 4 days per week for 6 weeks. Mean differences in size (in grams) and isometric strength (in kilograms), between week 0 and week 6, were calculated for each group.