Another BFR Success Story: 22-Year-Old Bodybuilder with an Osteochondral Fracture
A successful bodybuilding competition prep is one of the most physically and mentally demanding feats in all of sports. Some sports have grueling training while others have severe weight loss protocols, but bodybuilding has both. A competition prep usually entails up to 6 months of controlled starvation in conjunction with cardio and resistance training with maximal body fat loss and muscle retention. Can you imagine going through the whole process, only to suffer an injury just TWO short weeks away of the competition???? Enter today’s BFR anecdote!
This case study involves a 22-year-old male bodybuilder (let’s call him Sam) who, you guessed it, suffered an injury just two weeks prior to his competition. Sam felt a sharp pain in his knee while performing barbell back squats, which was so severe that he was unable to continue his workout with his usual loads. He was somewhat aware of BFR, so he wrapped his thighs with knee wraps and was able to complete the workout with lighter loads.
After seeking medical attention and having X-rays and MRIs, Sam was diagnosed with a significant osteochondral fracture of the R femoral condyle. Sam’s medical team recommended surgery as soon as possible, but Sam wanted to at least try to get on stage for his competition. Sam went ahead and scheduled his surgery for the week after his competition.
Sam reached out to the researchers of this study and asked for assistance with programming his training leading up to the competition. Table 1 shows the BFR training protocol that was used:
Sam returned to his doctor two days after the competition for pre-surgical examination and to everyone’s surprise, Sam was asymptomatic! Sam presented with no effusion or tenderness, normal knee range of motion, and ambulated without a limp. Repeat radiographs indicated that the bony part of the osteochondral fracture, which was very apparent on the previous radiographs, was now only minimally apparent. Sam held off on the surgery and the doctor recommended to continue BFR training and to progress to heavy loads as tolerated.
So…based off of this study, is BFR the next go-to treatment to heal fractures? Of course not. Does this case study bring to question some potential benefits that BFR training can have on the rehabilitation of bone? You bet!
In case you were curious, Sam placed in the top 5 in the open lightweight and junior divisions…Go Sam!
Reference:
Loenneke, J. P., Young, K. C., Wilson, J. M., & Andersen, J. C. (2013). Rehabilitation of an osteochondral fracture using blood flow restricted exercise: a case review. Journal of bodywork and movement therapies, 17(1), 42–45. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbmt.2012.04.006
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