Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) is a hot topic in physical therapy right now. Even though it has been around since the 1960s, there has recently been a surge in BFR research that supports how this technique can improve patient outcomes.
Muscle mass accounts for 40-45 percent of total body weight,1 which makes it no surprise that muscle injuries can account for anywhere between 10-55 percent of all sustained sports injuries.2 With such a prevalence of muscle-related injuries, it’s important to understand how muscles heal, which includes three phases: Destruction, Repair and Remodeling.2
From indoor tracks and treadmills, endurance athletes and amateur runners are taking to the beautiful outdoors. As activity levels increase and miles add up, runners may experience pain, weakness, or fatigue, limiting their workout. Whatever the reason, runners can find themselves hitting a wall or plateauing throughout training. Many times symptoms are ignored and athletes push through. With that said, there are effective treatment options that can occur as training continues. One effective treatment for endurance athletes is trigger point dry needling.