Does prehabilitation with blood flow restriction training improve postoperative muscle strength and functional recovery in patients undergoing knee arthroplasty?
Blood flow restriction training is a safe and potentially effective prehabilitation strategy to accelerate functional recovery and improve muscle strength after knee arthroplasty.
: Prehabilitation with BFR training shows considerable potential to enhance early postoperative muscle strength and functional recovery in patients undergoing knee arthroplasty, particularly when compared with usual care lacking structured preoperative intervention. The evidence to date suggests that BFR is a safe and well-tolerated strategy, offering an alternative for patients who cannot perform high-load resistance training. Its favorable safety profile, combined with the potential to accelerate functional recovery, highlights the promise of BFR for reducing rehabilitation costs and healthcare utilization. Nonetheless, larger, high-quality RCTs with standardized protocols and extended follow-up are required to confirm these preliminary findings and establish clear clinical guidelines for their implementation.
Tiss et al. (Mon,) studied this question.