Blood flow restriction therapy with exercise are no better than exercise alone in improving athletic performance, muscle strength, and hypertrophy: a systematic review and meta-analysis

• Published in: Somatosensory & motor research 2024-04, Vol.ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print), p.1-18
• Main Authors: Khurana, Dimple, Dutta, Neha, Malik, Shikha, Sharma, Shalini, Minhaj, M., Sharma, Raj Kumar, Sharma, Saurabh
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Blood flow restriction exercise; muscle strength; sports performance
• ISSN: 0899-0220; 1369-1651
• DOI: 10.1080/08990220.2023.2181328

The benefits of Blood Flow Restriction Therapy (BFRT) have gained attention in recent times. This review aimed to evaluate the immediate (up to 24 hours), intermediate (up to 6 weeks), and long term (6-10 weeks) effects of BFRT plus exercises (EX) compared to EX only on athletic performance (sprint and jump performance), muscle strength, and hypertrophy in athletes and physically active population. A literature search was conducted to select randomized controlled trials across four electronic databases from inception till April 2021. The search yielded twenty-seven studies in total. Based on eligibility criteria, twenty-one studies were analyzed. No differences were found between both groups for immediate (standardized mean difference [SMD] −0.02, 95% confidence interval [CI] −0.31, 0.27) and long-term effects (SMD −0.30, 95%CI −0.90, 0.30) on sprint performance. For jump performance, no significant effect was observed immediately (SMD −0.02 (95% CI −1.06, 1.02) and long term (SMD −0.40 (95% CI −1.46, 0.67). Similarly, muscle torque at intermediate (SMD 0.90 (95% CI −1.01, 2.81) and long term (SMD −0.54 (95% CI −1.19, 0.12), muscle strength at intermediate (SMD 1.12 (95% CI 0.20, 2.04) , and long term (SMD −0.07 (95% CI −0.56, 0.42) also showed non-significant effects. Muscle hypertrophy at intermediate (SMD 0.16 (95% CI −0.31, 0.63) and long term (SMD −0.20 (95% CI −0.90, 0.50) were not statistically significant. There was no significant difference observed in BFRT plus EX group compared to the EX-group on athletic performance, muscle strength, and muscle hypertrophy.