Brief summary, from the abstract
In men who trained for 14 weeks, low-load resistance exercise with blood flow restriction produced patellar tendon adaptations comparable to those from conventional high-load training, suggesting it is a viable alternative when heavy loading is undesirable.
- Patellar tendon stiffness rose by a similar amount in both groups (LL-BFR +25.2%, P = 0.003; HL +22.5%, P = 0.024).
- Tendon cross-sectional area increased similarly in both groups, and muscle strength gains were comparable (HL +38%, LL-BFR +34%).
- LL-BFR used 20%-35% of 1RM versus 70%-85% of 1RM for high-load training, indicating much lighter loads achieved equivalent results.
- Evidence comes from a single trial of 29 recreationally active men, so findings may not extend to women, older adults, or clinical populations.
Clinically assessing this area? See the knee special tests.