ReviewFrontiers in physiology2021
Blood Flow Restriction Training: To Adjust or Not Adjust the Cuff Pressure Over an Intervention Period?
Review in Frontiers in physiology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 19 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
19 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 27 citations in OpenAlex.
- Comparative effectiveness of resistance training modalities after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: a network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Frontiers in physiology · 2026Pooled it
- Muscle strength adaptation between high-load resistance training versus low-load blood flow restriction training with different cuff pressure characteristics: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in physiology · 2023Pooled it
- Post activation potentiation effect of different preloading protocols on sprint performance.Scientific reports · 2025Trial
- Neuromuscular adaptations to caffeine supplementation in low-load resistance training with blood flow restriction.Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition · 2025Trial
- Occlusion pressure and blood pressure adaptations following low-load blood flow restriction training versus moderate-load training: a pilot randomized clinical trial in patients with knee osteoarthritis.Frontiers in physiology · 2025Trial
- Blood Flow Restriction Training, Molecular Modulators, and Musculoskeletal Health: A Scoping Review and Translational Perspective.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026Article
- Examining the impact of blood flow restriction on cardiac rehabilitation outcomes.World journal of cardiology · 2025Review
- Blood flow restriction training in microgravity: a review of multisystem physiological benefits and implementation challenges for long-duration space missions.NPJ microgravity · 2025Review
- The effects of body hydration on perceptual responses during blood flow restriction exercise.Physiological reports · 2025Article
- Physiological Sensor Modality Sensitivity Test for Pain Intensity Classification in Quantitative Sensory Testing.Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Feasibility of Blood Flow Restriction Exercise in Adults with a Non-surgically Treated Achilles Tendon Rupture; a Case Series.International journal of exercise science · 2024Article
- Effect of One Session of Muscle Blood Flow Restriction Training Versus Normal Training on Blood Lactate Level.Progress in rehabilitation medicine · 2024Article
- Complex training with blood flow restriction increases power output and bar velocity during half-squat jump: a pilot randomized controlled study.Frontiers in physiology · 2024Article
- Chronic hemodynamic adaptations induced by resistance training with and without blood flow restriction in adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Sports medicine and health science · 2023Review
- Blood flow restriction training activates the muscle metaboreflex during low-intensity sustained exercise.Journal of applied physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985) · 2023Article
- Blood flow restricted walking in patients suffering from intermittent claudication: a case series feasibility and safety study.Annals of medicine and surgery (2012) · 2023Article
- Effect of blood flow-restricted resistance training on myocardial fibrosis in early spontaneously hypertensive rats.Frontiers in cardiovascular medicine · 2023Article
- Blood Flow Restriction Training for the Intervention of Sarcopenia: Current Stage and Future Perspective.Frontiers in medicine · 2022Review
- Low-Intensity Resistance Exercise Combined With Blood Flow Restriction is More Conducive to Regulate Blood Pressure and Autonomic Nervous System in Hypertension Patients-Compared With High-Intensity and Low-Intensity Resistance Exercise.Frontiers in physiology · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Blood flow restriction (BFR) training combines exercise and partial reduction of muscular blood flow using a pressured cuff. BFR training has been used to increase strength and muscle mass in healthy and clinical populations. A major methodological concern of BFR training is blood flow restriction pressure (BFRP) delivered during an exercise bout. Although some studies increase BFRP throughout a training intervention, it is unclear whether BFRP adjustments are pivotal to maintain an adequate BFR during a training period. While neuromuscular adaptations induced by BFR are widely studied, cardiovascular changes throughout training intervention with BFR and their possible relationship with BFRP are less understood. This study aimed to discuss the need for BFRP adjustment based on cardiovascular outcomes and provide directions for future researches. We conducted a literature review and analyzed 29 studies investigating cardiovascular adaptations following BFR training. Participants in the studies were healthy, middle-aged adults, older adults and clinical patients. Cuff pressure, when adjusted, was increased during the training period. However, cardiovascular outcomes did not provide a plausible rationale for cuff pressure increase. In contrast, avoiding increments in cuff pressure may minimize discomfort, pain and risks associated with BFR interventions, particularly in clinical populations. Given that cardiovascular adaptations induced by BFR training are conflicting, it is challenging to indicate whether increases or decreases in BFRP are needed. Based on the available evidence, we suggest that future studies investigate if maintaining or decreasing cuff pressure makes BFR training safer and/or more comfortable with similar physiological adaptation.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.