“Exercise improves strength and balance, and decreases fall risk. Medications are often prescribed to improve bone mineral density but don’t affect fall risk. If you’re using BFR [blood flow restriction] to help strengthen, this will help improve balance as well, which is huge in preventing falls.”

-Gina Panarese, PT, DPT, OCS 

 

Gina Panarese, PT, DPT, OCS is a physical therapist, with a specialty in bone health and osteoporosis.  She is a Board-Certified Clinical Specialist in Orthopedic Physical Therapy and certified in Blood Flow Restriction Training. Gina has her clinical practice at Kessler Rehabilitation Center in Morris Plains, New Jersey. She is a faculty member of their orthopedic residency program. In today’s talk, we discussed blood flow restriction training and how it can be used for osteoporosis and osteopenia. Stay tuned for this very exciting way to improve muscle and bone strength, especially if you are not able to do high intensity strength training. 

 

Links:

Kessler Rehabilitation Center Physical Therapy - You can contact Gina here! https://www.kesslerrehabilitationcenter.com/services/specialty-services/bone-health/

Your last chance to watch the Natural Approaches to Osteoporosis and Bone Health Summit for FREE is this weekend- sign up if you haven’t to be notified! https://bonehealth.byhealthmeans.com/?idev_id=22547

Timestamps:

[02:12] What blood flow restriction (BFR) is- and why it isn’t as scary as it sounds

[08:25] How a BFR session works for resistance training, and how to do it safely

[15:27] Why BFR is popular amongst athletes

[18:07] Getting started with BFR- and where future research is going

[26:07] Increased fracture risk from well-intentioned exercisers: how to know if your exercise is safe