Rehabilitation with the aid of blood flow restriction training

Background For various reasons many patient groups are unable to perform high-intensity strength training. Objective Is the application of low-intensity strength training under blood flow restriction (BFR) an alternative to high-intensity training for patients? Material and methods Overview and summary of possible applications of BFR training in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee joint, after surgery and in patients with reduced performance. Possible contraindications and application recommendations for clinical practice based on the currently available literature are shown. Results In patients with arthritic joint complaints, muscular hypertrophy and strength improvement were achieved by low-intensity exercise with the aid of BFR. In the postoperative treatment after knee arthroscopy and anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction, BFR can be used to reduce atrophy. Conclusion The effectiveness of low-intensity BFR training is lower than for classical high-resistance training; however, it may be used as additional training method in rehabilitation programs.