Comparing the Effectiveness of Blood Flow Restriction and Traditional Heavy Load Resistance Training in the Post-Surgery Rehabilitation of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Patients: A UK National Health Service Randomised Controlled Trial

Hughes L, et al. · Sports Medicine

Scaled 10RM strength in the injured limb rose 104 ± 30% with restriction and 106 ± 43% without, with no group difference, and muscle thickness (5.8% and 6.7%) and pennation angle (4.1% and 3.4%) matched as well. The restricted arm did better on self-reported function, Y-balance performance, range of motion (78 ± 22% against 48 ± 13%), knee pain (67 ± 15% against 39 ± 12%) and effusion (6 ± 2% against 2 ± 2%), and lost less knee-extensor peak torque at 150 and 300 degrees per second and less flexor torque at every speed - though at 60 degrees per second the two arms lost the same. Low joint load did not mean inferior recovery.

Population

28 patients scheduled for unilateral ACL reconstruction with hamstring autograft in a UK NHS setting; 24 completed, 12 per group

Intervention

8 weeks of twice-weekly unilateral leg press at 30% 1RM with blood flow restriction, 16 sessions, alongside standard hospital rehabilitation

Comparator

The same programme at 70% 1RM without blood flow restriction

Limitations

One small single-site trial, 24 completers over an 8-week horizon, in an ACL-reconstruction rather than a cartilage-repair population; the assessor was blinded, participants could not be. Supported by Delfi Medical Innovations Inc., which supplied the pneumatic cuff and tourniquet system, while the authors declare no conflicts directly relevant to the article.