Effects of Blood Flow Restriction Training on Muscular Strength and Hypertrophy in Older Individuals: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Centner C, Wiegel P, Gollhofer A, König D · Sports Medicine

Adding blood flow restriction produced significantly greater strength gains than the same work without it: pooled effect size 2.16 (95% CI 1.61 to 2.70) for low-load training and 3.09 (95% CI 2.04 to 4.14) for walking. Muscle mass also increased when walking was compared with and without restriction, effect size 1.82 (95% CI 1.32 upward).

Population

Eleven studies covering 238 older adults

Intervention

Low-load resistance training with blood flow restriction, and walking with blood flow restriction

Comparator

The same training without restriction, and conventional resistance training

Limitations

Eleven studies and 238 people in total, and the endpoints are muscle strength and size rather than any joint outcome — nothing here measures cartilage, pain or function in an osteoarthritic knee. Effect sizes above 2 across small trials usually indicate heterogeneity or small-study effects as much as a large true effect. No sources of funding were used.