Blood Flow Restriction Therapy in the Shoulder: A Review.

Sean Munroe, Catherine Harding, Hannah P Gibbs, Christian Cruz, Justin J Ernat, Daniel J Song

Abstract readReview

In one paragraph

Review in The Iowa orthopaedic journal, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it

0cells of the map it votes in

0citing papers in PubMed

–field-weighted citation impact

1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Sean MunroeUniformed Services University, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.

Catherine HardingUniformed Services University, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.

Hannah P GibbsWalter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.

Christian CruzFort Belvoir Community Hospital, Fort Belvoir, Virginia, USA.

Justin J ErnatUniversity of Utah Health, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.

Daniel J SongUniformed Services University, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Blood flow restriction therapy (BFRT) describes the application of an occlusive device to an extremity to occlude arterial flow while maintaining venous return. BFRT has been shown to increase strength gains and muscle hypertrophy at lower weight loads than traditionally required. It is increasing in interest among orthopaedic surgeons, as demonstrated by the number of recent studies on BFRT. There is abundant evidence of the effects distal to the occlusive cuff, but limited research on the effects proximally. Therefore, we have explored current literature regarding BFRT in the shoulder, specifically reviewing proposed mechanisms of action, applications in healthy adults, and its use for non-operative and post-operative shoulder pain. Future research opportunities are also discussed.

Indexed as

Blood Flow Restriction TherapyShoulder JointShoulder PainHumansRegional Blood FlowRotator CuffBFRTblood flow restriction therapyrotator cuffshoulderupper extremity

Identifiers

PMID42445121

PMCPMC13359498

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata

Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.