The Benefits of Blood Flow Restriction Therapy

The Benefits of Blood Flow Restriction Therapy

What is Blood Flow Restriction Therapy? Blood flow restriction therapy, also known as occlusion therapy, is a rehabilitation technique that involves applying a pneumatic cuff or tourniquet to the proximal portion of a limb to temporarily restrict blood flow during exercise. By partially occluding venous return while maintaining arterial inflow, BFR creates a hypoxic environment within the muscle, leading to metabolic stress and subsequent muscle adaptation. This unique physiological response stimulates muscle growth, enhances strength, and promotes recovery, making BFR a valuable adjunct to traditional physical therapy interventions.

How Does Blood Flow Restriction Therapy Work? The mechanism of action behind blood flow restriction therapy lies in the principle of ischemic preconditioning. When blood flow to a muscle is restricted, it triggers a cascade of physiological responses, including the release of growth factors such as insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). These growth factors promote muscle hypertrophy, increase muscle protein synthesis, and improve muscle endurance. Additionally, BFR induces a systemic response, including the release of anabolic hormones and activation of satellite cells, further enhancing muscle adaptation.

Blood flow restriction therapy offers a wide range of applications in physical therapy, spanning from post-surgical rehabilitation to sports performance enhancement. Some common uses of BFR in physical therapy include:

  1. Post-surgical rehabilitation: BFR can accelerate muscle recovery and prevent muscle atrophy following surgery, allowing patients to regain strength and function more quickly.
  2. Injury rehabilitation: BFR enables patients with injuries or orthopedic conditions to perform low-load resistance exercises safely, facilitating muscle strengthening and promoting tissue healing.
  3. Strength training: BFR can be used to augment traditional resistance training programs, allowing individuals to achieve significant gains in muscle mass and strength with lighter loads.
  4. Sports performance enhancement: Athletes can use BFR to supplement their training regimen, improving muscle endurance, increasing muscle size, and enhancing overall performance.
  5. Chronic conditions: BFR may benefit individuals with chronic conditions such as osteoarthritis or sarcopenia by improving muscle function and reducing functional limitations.

Blood flow restriction therapy represents a paradigm shift in the field of physical therapy, offering a safe, effective, and innovative approach to rehabilitation. With its ability to stimulate muscle growth, enhance strength, and accelerate recovery, BFR holds immense potential for improving outcomes across various patient populations. Whether used as a standalone intervention or integrated into comprehensive treatment plans, BFR empowers physical therapists to optimize patient care and achieve superior results.

All Atlantic Physical Therapy Center locations offer Blood Flow Restriction (except the Mule Rd. location) No prescription is needed and our physical therapists can evaluate you and will let you know if BFR is a safe and effective technique for your condition. Schedule HERE.

Sitting is the New Smoking: Tips for Incorporating Movement into your Routine

Sitting is the New Smoking: Tips for Incorporating Movement into your Routine

In today’s fast-paced world, many of us find ourselves spending long hours glued to our chairs, whether it’s at work, during our commute, or even in our leisure time. Sitting may seem harmless, but the truth is, it can have serious consequences for our health. Studies have linked prolonged sitting to an increased risk of obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and even certain types of cancer. When we sit for long periods, our metabolism slows down, leading to weight gain and a higher risk of developing chronic conditions. Additionally, sitting for extended periods can weaken our muscles, leading to poor posture and back pain. These consequences are why it has even been dubbed “the new smoking”.

The good news is that there’s a simple solution to combat the negative effects of sitting: movement. Incorporating regular movement breaks into our day can help counteract the harmful effects of prolonged sitting. Even short bursts of activity, such as taking a quick walk around the office or doing a few stretches, can make a big difference in our overall health. Movement not only helps improve circulation and boost metabolism but also strengthens muscles, improves posture, and reduces the risk of chronic diseases.

Here are Tips for Incorporating Movement into Your Day:

  1. Take regular breaks: Set a timer to remind yourself to get up and move every hour.
  2. Stretch: Incorporate stretching exercises into your daily routine to improve flexibility and reduce muscle tension.
  3. Stand up: Consider using a standing desk or adjustable workstation to alternate between sitting and standing throughout the day.
  4. Walk whenever possible: Take the long way to the bathroom, take the stairs instead of the elevator, and park farther away to sneak in extra steps.
  5. Find activities you enjoy: Whether it’s yoga, dancing, or gardening, find activities that get you moving and make them a regular part of your routine.

Sitting may be the new smoking when it comes to its impact on our health, but the good news is that we have the power to change our habits. By incorporating more movement into our daily lives, we can counteract the negative effects of prolonged sitting and improve our overall health and well-being. So, the next time you find yourself tempted to stay glued to your chair, remember the importance of getting up and moving. Your body will thank you for it!

If you find yourself sitting due to weakness or the pain of standing and moving, reach out to us here. No prescription is needed and our physical therapists can evaluate you and will let you know if your condition warrants further diagnostic testing.

MOVE Before You Move

MOVE Before You Move

You may read that and think, “How can I move BEFORE I move?” 

With many conditions, (especially with acute injuries or chronic arthritis) there is a specific pattern to our pain: 

  1. I feel good when I am sitting or still
  2. I have pain when I initially go to move and get up, often having to take several steps before my pain begins to subside 
  3. Once I get going the pain starts to get better 
  4. If I am too active for too long I start to have pain again 
  5. I sit down and rest and I feel better
  6. I go to get up and I have pain again 
  7. The cycle repeats all day long.  

If this sounds like you, you want to MOVE BEFORE YOU MOVE 

It is rare in our lives that we must get up emergently to attend to some “disaster” that required immediate attention. You probably can’t think of many (or any) in your recent memory. So more often than not we know we are going to get up.

 “When the next commercial comes on, I am going to go get a drink.” 

“When I finish this chapter of the book, I am going to get a snack.” 

“When I finish this game of candy crush, I am going to start making lunch.” 

So, what we need to do in those last few moments before we get up, is get our body primed and ready for activity.  

If you have knee pain with getting up:

Before you actually stand up, while sitting, march your legs 10 to 20 times, then kick your legs 10 – 20 times. Move your legs and then get up.  

If you have pain in your low back:

Roll your pelvis forwards and back, tip your trunk left and right, rotate your trunk left and right. If you are laying on your back, pull your knee to your chest and alternate legs; bend your knees then roll your knees left and right. Get the spine and hips moving a little. Then get out of bed.  

For more specific tips on how “Moving Before You Move” can help, schedule an appointment with your local APTC office.  

Freehold NJ Physical Therapist, Jeremy Breden Jeremy Breden

Jeremy Breden is the Clinic Director and PT at the Manalapan location.

Call Us: 877-963-3378

4 Stretches For Your Back and Shoulders

4 Stretches For Your Back and Shoulders

Spending a lot of time sitting at your desk? Take a movement break!

It’s important to stand up and move every 30-60 minutes. Here are some simple and easy stretches for your upper back and shoulders:

1. Pec Stretch:

Bring your hands to shoulder height while standing in a door way. Slowly and gently lean forward. Be sure to keep your chin over your sternum while stretching (don’t bring your chin forward)

Pec stretch

2. Shoulder Roll:

While standing, gently bring your shoulders up, back, and around. Try this 10 times.

Shoulder roll

3. Biceps Stretch:

While standing, interlace your fingers behind your back. Gently press your hands down and away from your body.

Bicep stretch

4. Scapula Squeeze:

While sitting or standing, gently squeeze your shoulder blades together.

Scapular Squeeze

Give these a try and your body will thank you! Be sure to get up and move every 30-60 minutes. In our next installment, learn some dynamic ways to stretch your hips and low back throughout your workday!

East Windsor Physical Therapist, Deepa Salvi
Deepa Salvi, PT, MSPT 
is a Physical Therapist in the Lawrenceville, NJ location of Atlantic Physical Therapy Center. She is certified in Concussion & Vestibular Therapy, ImPACT Credentialed, IASTM and Cuppping Certified as well as a Pregnancy & Postpartum Care Therapist. 
Relieving pain: PT & Shockwave Therapy

Relieving pain: PT & Shockwave Therapy

Do you have pain? Most of us do. It is a pretty normal occurrence in our lives, often brought on by the daily rigors of our being. We sit too long. That’s bad. We stand too long. Also bad. Lay too long. Bad. Lift too much weight. Bad. Don’t lift enough weight. You guessed it, bad. Run too much or not enough. It’s all bad.

Now, this is not to say that we shouldn’t do these things. Frankly, we have to do most of them at some point in our lives, but all of our movements and positions come with consequences: some good, some, not so good.

This is why Physical Therapy exists. We are here to help. PTs help you discover why you are hurting, trying to get to the root of the problem, and find a solution that works for you. Customized treatment is the only way to be successful, because let’s face it, we are all different and what works for one person, may not work for another.

The first step in trying to get better is committing to do so. Getting better is not a once a day thing, it is an ALL day thing. Physical Therapy can put you on a plan that will help you discover the positives and negatives of what you are already doing and try, with as little interruption to your normal life as is possible, to make small adjustments to help you reduce your symptoms.

As a PT, we have limitations in what we are capable of, but research and technology keeps us moving in the right direction with the goals of helping people feeling better and restoring function.

I have recently had the opportunity to receive a treatment technique for my own pain that I have not encountered before. It is called EPAT or extracorporeal pulse activated therapy. You may have heard it referred to as “Shockwave therapy”. I was amazed after one treatment that my chronic shoulder pain, weakness and movement restriction had improved more than 50%. It was the best I have felt in over a year!

I started to do some research and found out that this can actually help to heal tears in the tissues. Here is an excerpt from the National Institute of Health (NIH), the National Library of Mecine (NLB) and the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) summarizing the effects:

“Many recent studies demonstrated the modulations of shockwave treatment including neovascularization, differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells and local release of angiogenetic factors. The experimental findings confirm that ESWT decrease the expression of high levels of inflammatory mediators (matrix metalloproteinases and inter-leukins). Therefore, ESWT produces a regenerative and tissue-repairing effect in musculoskeletal tissues, not merely a mechanical disintegrative effect as generally before assumed. Based on the encouraging results of clinical and experimental studies, the potential of ESWT appears to be emerging. The promising outcome after this non-invasive treatment option in tendinitis care justifies the indication of shockwave therapy… The success rate ranges from 60% to 80% in epicondylitis, plantar fasciitis, cuff tendinitis, trocanteritis, Achilles tendinitis or patellar tendinitis (jumper’s knee). ” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3666498/

This means that shockwave therapy can help stimulate the growth of new blood cells (neovascularization), stimulate stem cell production (regrow your normal tissues), regenerate blood flow from capillaries that have been dormant (angiogenesis) and reduce inflammation, all of which help to improve tissue quality and reduce pain. It can immediately impact your motion and strength. While some changes are experienced immediately, others are often not noted until four weeks after your last treatment and the blood vessels and stem cells are repaired.

Some studies have shown under ultrasound that damage to tendons and muscle tissues can actually heal without the use of invasive procedures. It may help you avoid surgery!

Atlantic PT Center is lucky enough to have a Shockwave Therapy machine. Adding shockwave therapy to your normal physical therapy regimen has potential to lead to decreased healing times and faster restoration of function. It usually requires at least five sessions to achieve the best benefit, but some people do require more. Shockwave sessions are most effective when performed 5 to 7 days apart.

Shockwave therapy is not a replacement for PT, but used as an adjunct to your current PT treatment plan. The manual therapy and exercise programs in PT lay the groundwork for the shockwave to be more effective. And your home program is what will keep you better once you have reached your goals and been discharged from PT.

This treatment is not for everyone, as it can be uncomfortable due to the aggressiveness of the sound head as it vibrates at a very fast rate moving the sound waves deep into the tissues. Generally the treatment takes about 5 – 10 minutes.

If you are experiencing mild or chronic pain, schedule an appointment with your Physical Therapist and ask if EPAT / Shockwave is right for you.

Freehold NJ Physical Therapist, Jeremy Breden Jeremy Breden

Jeremy Breden is a PT at the Freehold location.

Call Us: 877-963-3378