BLOOD FLOW RESTRICTED EXERCISE Blood flow restricted (BFR) rehabilitation is the brief and intermittent occlusion of venous (veins) blood flow using a tourniquet while exercising. Using this technique you can exercise with significantly lighter weight while still creating a hypertrophy (growth) and strength response. Traditionally to get a hypertrophy and strength response in your muscles you would need to lift a heavy load. Application. The goal is to reduce just enough blood flow to create positive changes. However, the amount of pressure used varies between individuals. The sizeofyour limb,densityof thesoft tissue inyour limb,bloodpressure,placement of the tourniquet cuff and width of the tourniquet cuff all must be taken into account when determining your personalized pressure. Your healthcare provider will utilize a specialized tourniquet system with built in monitor to account for these variables. Additionally, your healthcare provider will discuss potential contraindications to this treatment with you to determine if you are a candidate. Training. Once your personalized pressure is determined you will begin specific exercises based on your rehabilitation plan. Even though you are lifting a light weight your muscle will begin to feel like it is working very hard. This feeling in yourmuscle is thebuildupof lactateand is thedesiredresponseof this training. It is important thatyoucomplete the totalnumberofsetsandrepetitionsprescribed by your healthcare provider in order to maximize this response. You may also begin to sweat and feel your heart rate rise similar to a heavy workout. This is common and expected. Effects. After you have completed your exercise session and you have built up sufficient lactate many positive effects can occur. These include an increase in growth hormone and other anabolic (positive) muscle growth factors. There will also be an increase in muscle protein synthesis, your muscles ability to grow. You should discuss proper nutrition guidelines with your healthcare provider to maximize these effects. Side Effects. Adverse side effects are rare. The most common effects after this training are residual swelling in the limb, a fatigued muscle and possibly some mild soreness. These are transient and usually resolve within 24 hours. If you have prolonged swelling, fatigue or soreness discuss this with your healthcare provider along with any other concerns you may have. Source: “From Owen’s Recovery Science”
HAVE YOU MET YOUR ANNUAL INSURANCE DEDUCTIBLE?
An insurance deductible is the amount of money that you must pay before your insurance company pays for your medical services. If your deductible is met, your Physical Therapy may not cost you anything. Patients with family plans or those who have had major surgeries or have a chronic illness are especially likely to have a $0 balance remaining on their out-of-pocket expenses. This means that the cost of physical therapy could be minimal or completely covered by the patient’s insurance plan. If you are close to or have met your insurance deductible for the year, then now is the time to come in for Physical Therapy! Are you feeling aches and pains? Need to work on your core? Let us help you get a head start for 2020. Contact us today to schedule your appointment.
REFUELING YOUR BODY WITH CHOCOLATE MILK AFTER A HARD WORKOUT
We all know that working out is good for our muscles, but did you know that what you eat and drink AFTER a workout can have a huge impact on how those muscles recover and get ready for the next round at the gym? There have been a multitude of studies suggesting that drinking chocolate milk after a hard workout can help the body retain, replenish and rebuild muscles to help in the recovery process. Carbohydrates and Protein. Chocolate Milk has a 3:1 carbohydrate to protein ratio.This is theperfectbalanceofcarbs toprotein tohelpre-fuel tiredmuscles. During exercise our muscles rely on both stored and dietary carbohydrates for energy. Since carbohydrates are burned quickly, they are used up quickly and chocolate milk is an easily digestible and delicious way to re-fuel tired muscle glycogen (stored carbs) at a time when a person may not feel like eating solid foods. Chocolate milk provides a natural source of high quality protein to speed alongmusclerecoveryanddiminish the likelihoodofsoremuscles thenextday. Milk protein consists of whey and casein, both of which help muscle rebuilding but in different ways. The whey is fast acting, and the casein is slow acting. If that was not enough, milk also contains the amino acid leucine, which acts as a “light switch” for turning on muscle recovery after a workout. Hydration. Chocolate milk is 90% water, which means its is an excellent choice for re-hydrating after a workout. Studies have indicated that both fat free and whole milk rank higher than some sports drinks for re-hydration due to their sodium and potassium content. What About Sugar? Yes, chocolate milk does contain sugar, but we need to remember thatweare talkingaboutathletes thathavebeenworkingouthard for over an hour. Sugar is what the body needs to replace depleted carbohydrates
after a hard workout. Along with this additional sugar, chocolate milk provides a myriad of nutrients such as bone building calcium, magnesium and Vitamin D, electrolytes and B vitamins that help convert food to energy. If you are lactose intolerant or have a milk allergy, there are several options of chocolate milk that may work for you. Lactaid milk works well if you have difficulty digesting the milk sugar lactose and A2 milk is another brand that may work for someone with a casein allergy. So the next time you push yourself hard at the gym or go for a long run, grab chocolate milk because it is good for you and it tastes great!
Noreen Gallo MSRD, LD Your Forever Nutrition Counseling
balance-rehab.com
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