Abstract
Patients undergoing anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction and patients suffering from knee osteoarthritis (KOA) have been shown to have quadriceps muscle weakness and/or atrophy in common. The physiological mechanisms of blood flow restriction (BFR) training could facilitate muscle hypertrophy. The purpose of this systematic review is to investigate the effects of BFR training on quadriceps cross-sectional area (CSA), pain perception, function and quality of life on these patients compared to a non-BFR training. A literature research was performed using Web of Science, PEDro, Scopus, MEDLINE, Dialnet, CINAHL and The Cochrane Library databases. The main inclusion criteria were that papers were English or Spanish language reports of randomized controlled trials involving patients with ACL reconstruction or suffering from KOA. The initial research identified 159 publications from all databases; 10 articles were finally included. The search was conducted from April to June 2020. Four of these studies found a significant improvement in strength. A significant increase in CSA was found in two studies. Pain significantly improved in four studies and only one study showed a significant improvement in functionality/quality of life. Low-load training with BFR may be an effective option treatment for increasing quadriceps strength and CSA, but more research is needed.
Highlights
Fernández-Matías, R.; Pecos-Martín, D.; Achalandabaso-Ochoa, A.; Fernández-Carnero, S.; Martínez-Amat, A.; Gallego-Izquierdo, T
A systematic literature search was conducted by two authors (C.B.Á. and P.I.-K.S.), independently, in Web of Science (WoS), PEDro, Scopus, MEDLINE, Dialnet, CINAHL
Muscle pain was significantly greater in the blood flow restriction (BFR) group compared to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction heavy-load group (mean difference: 5 ± 1, 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.942 to 7.758, p < 0.05) and compared to the group with healthy BFR individuals
Summary
Fernández-Matías, R.; Pecos-Martín, D.; Achalandabaso-Ochoa, A.; Fernández-Carnero, S.; Martínez-Amat, A.; Gallego-Izquierdo, T. Patients undergoing anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction and patients suffering from knee osteoarthritis (KOA) have been shown to have quadriceps muscle weakness and/or atrophy in common. The physiological mechanisms of blood flow restriction (BFR) training could facilitate muscle hypertrophy. The search was conducted from April to June 2020 Four of these studies found a significant improvement in strength. Low-load training with BFR may be an effective option treatment for increasing quadriceps strength and CSA, but more research is needed. The quadriceps is the most affected muscle after injury and reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) [10,11]; its rehabilitation reduces pain and improves knee function. It has been stated that training with a high load increases strength and muscle mass in patients with atrophy [10].
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
