Clinical use of blood flow restriction in people with neurologic conditions: a cross-sectional survey.
Mark M Mañago, Kyle Kimbrell, Emily R Hager and 3 others
PMID 35400831WHAT IT FOUND
Most surveyed clinicians think blood flow restriction is safe for neurologic conditions, and 38% have used it.
They applied it to conditions like stroke and TBI where evidence is missing. Reported benefits were subjective, so this does not prove the treatment works.
Key findings
0138% of surveyed clinicians reported using blood flow restriction in at least one patient with a neurologic condition.
0289% of respondents believed blood flow restriction is generally safe in neurologic populations, and no serious side effects requiring medical attention were reported.
03Clinicians reported using blood flow restriction in conditions like stroke and traumatic brain injury, despite the authors noting no peer-reviewed studies exist for these populations.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study relied on self-reported data from a small group of clinicians, mostly physical therapists in the United States. There were no objective measures of patient outcomes, so reported benefits like improved strength could be biased. The survey used snowball sampling, which means people who were already interested in blood flow restriction were more likely to respond. The sample was very homogeneous, with 91% Caucasian and 75% male respondents, limiting how well the results apply to other groups.
Declared interests
One author is a clinical instructor for a blood flow restriction device distributor, and another is the CEO of that same company. The study was funded by NIH grants.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the reported benefits of improved strength and decreased fatigue as proof that blood flow restriction works for neurologic conditions. These were subjective observations from clinicians, not measured results, and the authors explicitly state that this survey does not support efficacy.