Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) training at NPG – The results are in!
We have recently completed our first BFR block of therapy with one of our multiple sclerosis (MS) clients, Wendy, and she achieved amazing results. For some background information on BFR, click here for our earlier blog on BFR training.
Wendy came to us for BFR training with the goals of walking faster, further and better. BFR aims to achieve this by increasing lower limb strength. High load strength training is considered the gold standard for increasing muscle strength, but this was not an option for Wendy, like many other people living with neurological conditions. She didn’t have the base level strength and endurance to perform the required number of movements with a high weight, and the high weight reduced the quality of her movement which meant she would just be training unwanted compensatory movements. BFR is an avenue to strengthen muscles with low resistance, with better quality movement, and equal or better outcomes to traditional strength training.
The program involved a thorough initial assessment followed by a 6-week, 2x week training block, which targets the specific muscles and movements that Wendy needed for better walking. Various parameters were adjusted and increased over the course of the training period to meet the principles of strength training – and after 12 sessions of BFR, Wendy repeated the baseline assessment measures.
The results:
Increased lower limb strength by 55% (left leg) and 63% (right leg)
Increased standing up ability by 38%
Increased walking speed by 23% - check out the videos for pre- and post- walking, you can see how much smoother and faster Wendy’s walking looks, with a longer step length
Wendy reports feeling stronger in many of her physical tasks by around the 4-week mark, and the amount of exercise she could complete during her sessions increased significantly over the 6-week period. Now, Brad has increased her usual program – a weekly program supported by one of our awesome therapy assistants, and we will monitor Wendy over the next 6-12 months to determine when another burst of BFR therapy is required to maintain the improvements. Well done Wendy!