Naked Science Forum
On the Lighter Side => New Theories => Topic started by: Maizie on 24/06/2015 19:15:09
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I think BFST (Blood Flow Stimulation Therapy) is relatively new, but what does everyone think about this technology to increase our circulation? Is this something that can heal soft tissue damage??
I'm very curious about this!
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I am very suspicious of anything that uses "energy web" as a descriptor. It is certainly not a scientific way of describing the product. I don't know much about medicine or physiology, so I cannot speak directly about the effects they are advertizing, but if they can't describe how their technology works any better than it is described on this page, I doubt that it works.
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Interesting. That makes sense. When something says 'energy web', do you think this typically refers to any specific type of energy?
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....... When something says 'energy web', do you think this typically refers to any specific type of energy?
It means they don't know a lot about energy. It is a term that sounds good but doesn't mean much. If it is heat energy, why not just say heat?
Heat pads are known to increase circulation and help tissue to heal, generally alternating between ice and heat will help heal a soft tissue injury.
I would be wary of vague claims for electromagnetic radiation, although radio waves will heat tissue eg microwaves, they need care to prevent tissue damage.
See a registered Physio for advice
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Best treatment for soft tissue injuries? - Ultrasound, TENS, BFST, Shockwave, Infrared? Want the best treatment for my foot....just not sure which way to go. I like this write up but is it believable?
<unsubstantiated / unscientific link removed - Mod>
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You have asked this question before.
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Haven't decided yet....and just started looking into other therapies. Wanted to see if anyone had opinions on the other technology I listed. Hmmmm? Also just wanting to get as many opinions as possible on the BFST. Was hoping more people have heard of it or tried it.
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There is no information on that site that gives any indication how it works nor any references to independent clinical trials. There don't seem to be any on the net either.
EMR could be anything from radio waves to gamma waves and without understanding what this device does I personally would give it a wide berth.
Even established techniques for increasing blood flow need to be used with care in order to avoid cavitation and other local effects which can cause tissue damage. Although increasing blood flow can help heal tissues it can also increase inflammation which in turn can cause further damage.
You don't say what stage your injury is at. Recommended treatment for soft tissue injury depends on timing.
The acute stage, up to 4 days after injury should use PRICE, sometimes called RICE. Protection to prevent further injury, Rest, Ice therapy, Compression (bandaging), Elevation.
Sub acute is when the tissues are repairing, up to 6 weeks, and usually adds M for movement - stretching and extending the range before pain - to continued use of ICE.
If the injury is severe or is not healing it needs to be seen by a GP who might refer to a physio.
I personally would not undertake any self treatment with any of the machines you mentioned without medical recommendation and guidance. To do otherwise risks further damage, possibly permanent.
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Thank you again for your response, I appreciate other people's opinion on this. I've emailed them as well and got some interesting information which to me makes a lot of sense. Thought I'd share...
"The BFST is a diathermic device that stimulates sub-dermal tissue. It will stimulate blood flow deep within the soft tissue, providing nutrient-rich blood and optimized blood flow to the area being treated. Diathermy is well recognized and accepted by the medical community as an effective means of promoting sub-dermal blood flow in order to speed up healing and recovery times. Our Energy Webs produce Electro-Magnetic Energy (EMR) well below the more dangerous visible light frequencies, (within the ultra-safe bands of the EMR spectrum at very safe power levels), at a frequency that is far above the highly magnetic frequencies like Shortwave. We feel our technology is superior to Shortwave, Ultrasound, Microwave and IR LED.
The BFST product uses proprietary technology and is an advanced diathermic device over older technology like Ultrasound. For example, you would probably treat yourself with Ultrasound for 10-15 minutes at a power level of about 1W over a very small area. With the BFST you would be treating yourself for 20 minutes at a time, with about 10W of energy, using the unit over a much larger target area. That's 10x the power for a longer duration. And the treatments promote the blood flow for a longer period after treatment. It is also much safer than Ultrasound (as there is no risk of small, localized sub-dermal tissue damage) and does not interfere with implanted medical devices like Microwave and Shortwave devices do. It's really just newer technology that does a much better job"
That answers my question about ultrasound and other devices I've heard about.
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I think that this company can probably say that their product delivers a form of "diathermy" without consequence (legally speaking), but unless the company tells you more, I would exercise caution before concluding exactly what this device does. It's not a TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) delivery system, it's not a laser, it's not an ultrasound (there are different forms of diathermy)... so what is it? Isn't this information what most practitioners (and informed patients) need to know in order to determine the proper treatment given the specific type of injury? Particularly if one is looking for an alternative to surgery and attempting to heal acute soft tissue damage, such as a tear, rather than as a form of warm-up/therapy before or after exercise...
Also, although the company's website says both, these products are FDA-registered, which doesn't necessarily mean that they are "FDA-approved". A search of the FDA database shows that the devices named "BFST(R)", "Energy Web(R)" and "Inferno Wrap(R)" are registered with the FDA under the "IRT" product code, which is a code that denotes a "powered heating pad". The regulation codes for these products is pursuant to Code of Federal Regulations Sec. 890.5740, which is the section governing "powered heating pads", "(a) Identification. A powered heating pad is an electrical device intended for medical purposes that provides dry heat therapy for body surfaces. It is capable of maintaining an elevated temperature during use." According to the information available from the FDA's webpage as of the date of this post, the "BFST(R)", "Energy Web(R)" and "Inferno Wrap(R)" devices were exempted from pre-market notification requirements (and were not reviewed by a third party) - meaning that these were permitted to be sold to consumers because the company manufacturing or selling them (King Brand) represented to the FDA that these products are "substantially equivalent" to products that are already FDA approved - not that the products themselves have actually been approved for the use that is being marketed to consumers. The products King Brand list as substantially equivalent include a product called an "Electric Fomentation Unit" (or moist heating pad) by Thermophore, a product called "Li's Itch Stopper", by Hontech, and most notably, the "Delux Heat /Cold Wrap" and "Heat Wrap" manufactured and sold by the Gillette Company. The fact that they are registered as "powered heating pads" simply submits the company and these devices to regulations and inspection by the FDA for "powered heating pads". Interestingly, elsewhere on the company's website, consumers are informed that they may be able to seek health insurance or workers compensation coverage for King Brand's medical devices, and when so requesting, they should use the billing code (HCPCS) E0210. According to HCPCS' database, E0210 is the billing code for standard heating pads.
I couldn't post external links to the FDA pages where I found the above information, but if you search the FDA's webpage for its Medical Device Database, and then look for "Registration and Listing" (where, coincidentally, one is informed by the FDA that "Registration of a device establishment, assignment of a registration number, or listing of a medical device does not in any way denote approval of the establishment or its products by FDA) and input "BFST in the "proprietary name" search box (and search), then click on the link to the device (not the link to the King Brand Co.), then click on "IRT", you will find the information above among the links listed in the "TPLC Product Code Report."
Maybe BFST is "a thing"... unfortunately based on the facts available, what it accomplishes is impossible to define with any degree of medical certainty. I hope this helps.
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Hey I just wanted to follow up on this, sorry if its considered necroposting but I still haven't found any good info elsewhere on the net. I ended up buying one of those devices after I tore my meniscus in my knee, one of their CS reps called my the day after it arrived to ask how it was working for me. I probably spent an hour on the phone talking with her, she was very informative and was more than willing to talk about the device and how it works. Apparently it emits a frequency of infrared light that is slowly absorbed by your flesh rather than just being absorbed in the surface, it allows it to disperse its energy down to the bone, the body tries to flush this heat energy away and increases the blood flow in the area to do it. It actually seems fairly simple now that I have talked about it with her, obviously there is more than that, it cycles through power levels and does who knows what else, but that is the jist of how it works. I was actually pleased with how well it performed, I took the little "energy web" thing out of the wrap it comes in when i was done and started to use it to ease the pain in my wrists by using it as a rest while I type, I'm not sure how much of that part is a placebo effect, but even so I'm glad I have it.
Oh and it is a class 2 medical device meaning it has had clinical trials.