Introduction
Blood Flow Restriction Therapy is a technique that uses a cuff to apply external pressure to a limb with the intention of occluding venous outflow whilst maintaining partial arterial inflow. The occluded limb is then exercised at a submaximal level. This low load exercise with blood flow restriction can increase muscle strength and size more effectively than low load exercises with no restriction. BFR can be very helpful in a clinical setting where patients cannot exercise at high intensity.
This course will provide you with a basic introduction to blood flow restriction therapy and its application in clinical practice.
Aims
This course will discuss the physiology of muscle hypertrophy and its relationship to blood flow restriction therapy. It will explain what BFR Therapy is and how it is applied as well as the relevant safety considerations.
Outline
This course is made up of videos, reading, discussions and a final quiz. The course content is split into the following sections:
- Video
- Reading activity
- Quiz
Target audience
This course is aimed at Physiotherapy and Physical Therapy clinicians, students and assistants. Other interested professionals such as athletic trainers, occupational therapists, nurses or medical doctors interested in this subject are also invited to participate.
Practicalities
Hours of Learning - No deadlines are applied to this course and it can be started and completed in your own time according to your personal schedule. We expect the required elements to take around 1-1.5 hours depending on your schedule and learning style. Additionally there are many optional resources provided and if you choose to review these the course could take longer to complete.
Types of Activities - Reading Physiopedia pages, journal articles, book chapters. Watching videos. Attempting quizzes. Participating in an international discussion forum.
Certificates - At the end of the course, when you have completed all of the required elements, you will be able to download a certificate of completion and 1 Physioplus points will be added to your personalised learning dashboard.
Requirements to complete this course
In order to complete this course and receive a course completion certificate plus CEUs/CCUs/CPD points you will need to:
- Respect the Physioplus Community Culture.
- Log all the required learning activities as complete (represented by the orange icons!).
- Actively and appropriately participate in the course discussions.
- Pass a final quiz with a score of 80% or more.
- Complete a course evaluation form.
Learning outcomes
At the end of this course you will be able to:
- list 9 physiological mechanisms of muscle hypertrophy
- select 4 defining factors of BFR Training
- list 5 physiological processes of BFR training
- discuss the application of BFR training using case scenarios featuring patient-therapist interactions
- identify 5 safety considerations with regard to the application of BFR training