Effects of Blood Flow Restriction on Pain and Muscle Thickness Following Tendinopathy: A Case Study

Blood flow restriction (BFR) training, in which an inflatable cuff partially occludes blood flow around the proximal portion of a limb, coupled with low-load resistance exercise (LLRE) has resulted in gains comparable with traditional progressive resistive exercise in healthy populations. The use of BFR with LLRE may help people with supraspinatus tendinopathy through proximal effects to improve strength and muscle size. The purpose of this case report is to describe the proximal effect of the LLRE+BFR program on a patient with supraspinatus tendinopathy.

The patient was a 40-year-old man with a history of shoulder pain and weakness for the past months. He received an LLRE+BFR program for his right shoulder including rotator cuff and scapular strengthening exercises and lower limbs aerobic exercises based on protocols of strengthening and aerobic exercises of BFR. Outcomes measured at baseline and 4 weeks included the 4 items: 1) Strength of supraspinatus muscle and four scapular stabilizer muscles including serratus anterior strength, middle trapezius strength, and lower trapezius strength by dynamometer, 2) supraspinatus thickness by ultrasound, 3) pain pressure threshold of supraspinatus and deltoid muscles by algometer, and 4) pain reported bay in each session based on pain numeric scale.

After 6 weeks, the strength of supraspinatus and scapular stabilizers except for the lower trapezius increased. The supraspinatus thickness and pain pressure threshold in the supraspinatus and deltoid muscle also increased after 4 weeks. The mean of pain reported by the patient based on the pain numeric scale before and after each session was also decreased.

The patient had measurable improvements following the use of an LLRE+BFR program. LLRE+BFR program may be an option for strength training in people with supraspinatus tendinopathy; however, more research is needed to determine effectiveness across the population of people with supraspinatus tendinopathy.