The feasibility, safety, and efficacy of lower limb garment-integrated blood flow restriction training in healthy adults

Abstract

Objectives: Explore the feasibility of lower-limb garment-integrated BFR-training.

Design: Observational study.

Setting: Human performance laboratory.

Participants: Healthy males with no experience of BFR-training.

Main outcome measures: Feasibility was determined by a priori thresholds for recruitment, adherence, and data collection. Safety was determined by measuring BFR torniquet pressure and the incidence of side effects. Efficacy was determined by measuring body anthropometry and knee isokinetic dynamometry. Feasibility and safety outcomes were reported descriptively or as a proportion with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI), with mean change, 95% CIs, and effect sizes for efficacy outcomes.

Results: Twelve participants (mean age 24.8 years [6.5]) were successfully recruited; 11 completed the study. 134/136 sessions were completed (adherence = 98.5%) and 100% of data were collected. There was one event of excessive pain during exercise (0.7%, 95% CI 0.0%, 4.0%), two events of excessive pain post-exercise (1.5%, 95% CI 0.4%, 5.5%), and one event of persistent paraesthesia post-exercise (0.7%, 95% CI 0.0%, 4.0%). Mean maximal BFR torniquet pressure was <200 mmHg. We observed an increase in knee extension peak torque (mean change 12.4 Nm), but no notable changes in body anthropometry.

Conclusions: Lower-limb garment-integrated BFR-training is feasible, has no signal of important harm, and could be used independently.

Keywords: Blood flow restriction; Feasibility; Kaatsu training; Occlusion training; Safety.