True Story: What the industry is getting wrong about BFR

What a 75-Year-Old Nurse Told Me About BFRT Misuse Stunned Me—and Why She Chose RockCuff

Yesterday, I received a phone call from a 75-year-old retired nurse. She had just ordered a pair of RockCuff leg cuffs but wanted to change her order. She asked if she could swap one of the leg cuffs for an arm cuff instead. I told her it was possible, though not ideal, and asked her about her reasoning.

She shared that she hoped to address both her leg and upper body. Then, she told me about her experience with a physical therapist—a story that revealed not just her resilience but also the serious gaps in how blood flow restriction training (BFRT) is sometimes being implemented in clinical settings.

She had been seeing a therapist for a bone-on-bone issue in her left leg. Her treatment began with a pneumatic BFR cuff mounted on a rolling stand, but it was only used once per week. This is far below the minimum three-times-per-week recommendation needed to trigger BFRT’s full regenerative effects. The cuff was only ever applied to her injured leg, ignoring the uninjured side. Over time, the stronger injured leg actually surpassed the neglected leg in strength, so the clinic discontinued BFRT entirely—leaving her with an imbalance and visible atrophy in the untreated leg.

It got worse. The therapist started the cuff pressure at 185 mmHg and increased it to over 250 mmHg using a 5-inch cuff—levels that not only exceed safe recommendations, but likely resulted in full arterial occlusion. She experienced pain, numbness, tingling, and extreme discoloration. The sessions lasted only 5 minutes—well short of the minimum 15 minutes typically required to activate the body’s hormonal and metabolic benefits through lactate buildup and hypoxic signaling.

“I think the only reason they didn’t put it on the other leg,” she told me, “is because it was just too painful.”

At one point during her care, the clinic used RockCuff cuffs—our product that she told me only one clinician had—because the painful pneumatic cuff was unavailable. She immediately noticed the difference. The RockCuffs were comfortable. But thinking they needed to replicate the pain of the pneumatic cuff to be effective, she tried tightening them far more than needed and luckily, they won’t go that tight. No one had explained to her that RockCuff works efficiently at significantly lower pressures. She was never properly educated on how to use it safely or effectively.

On her final clinic visit, she asked for the RockCuffs again, but the staff couldn’t find them. That’s when she decided to take matters into her own hands and order her own set.

When we spoke, I took time to walk her through the science and reassured her that starting with two leg cuffs would be the best initial approach, given her primary concern. I also promised that if she ever wanted to make a trade in the future, I’d make it happen.

Her story is not just a reminder of the importance of proper education and protocol—it’s also a testament to patient empowerment. This retired nurse, with decades of healthcare experience, trusted her instincts and chose to advocate for herself. She found comfort in the right tool and sought clarity where the system had failed her.

RockCuff was designed for moments like this—to simplify, to protect, and to empower.

Pro Set - 2 sets of 2 Cuffs

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