Blood Flow Restriction Training Heads to Space: How the Delfi PTS is Powering Astronaut Health
By Owens Recovery Science
April 2025
This isn’t just about space—it’s about pushing the edge of human performance and resilience, wherever the human body goes.
From Rehab Rooms to the Final Frontier
As humanity prepares for deep-space missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond, one challenge looms large: how do we preserve muscle, bone, and cardiovascular function in the weightlessness of space?
Enter: Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) Training.
Developed and clinically applied here on Earth, BFR is now going orbital—thanks to the groundbreaking efforts of Delfi Medical Innovations, Owens Recovery Science, and visionary researchers like Dr. Luke Hughes of Northumbria University. What began as a tool to help ACL patients walk sooner and athletes train harder is now a legitimate part of NASA and SpaceX's astronaut countermeasure playbook.
BFR in Microgravity: The Fram2 Mission
The SpaceX Fram2 mission was a landmark: for the first time, astronauts integrated active BFR training into their in-orbit routines. The Delfi Personalized Tourniquet System (PTS) played a starring role, regulating occlusion pressure in real time—even in the zero-gravity environment of a spacecraft.
"The same system trusted by over 15,000 clinicians on Earth is now helping keep astronauts strong in space."
The BFR protocol onboard Fram2 included low-load resistance training using the Delfi PTS, which automatically adjusted pressure to match the user’s physiological needs. This wasn’t theoretical—this was precision tourniquet science applied at 17,500 miles per hour.
Fig 1: The NASA “Cuff n Buff” & “Black Freaking Magic” Delfi PTS for BFR
Earth-Born Science, Space-Tested Impact
If you know us, you know BFR isn't new. It's trusted in:
- Orthopedic Rehab: Mitigating atrophy post-ACL, TKA, and more.
- Geriatric Care: Promoting strength gains in the elderly—safely.
- Athletics: Used by professional teams across the NFL, MLB, NHL, and more.
But now, it’s being validated in the harshest environment known to man—space.
“Astronauts lose up to 20% of their muscle and 2% of their bone mass in just one month in microgravity. Sound familiar to post-op rehab?”
Just like your patients recovering from surgery, astronauts in space face rapid degeneration. But with BFR—particularly when personalized and autoregulated via Delfi's PTS—they can fight back.
Fig 2: Early use of BFR at NASA rehab with Gen 1 Delfi PTS—proof they’ve been in the game for years.
What This Means for the Future
The implications of successful BFR use in microgravity are enormous:
✅ Mars Missions: Compact and effective—ideal for long-duration flights.
✅ Space Habitats: Daily BFR may become as routine as brushing your teeth.
✅ Earth-Based Rehab: Insights from space can enhance protocols back home.
Final Word
We’re proud to see the Delfi PTS system, the same one we use with our patients and athletes every day, helping write the next chapter of space medicine. From ORs to orbit, BFR is proving its value where it matters most.
Owens Recovery Science is proud to be part of a team redefining recovery, training, and human capability—on Earth and beyond.
Learn More & Read the Science
- Hughes, L., Hackney, K. J., & Patterson, S. D. Optimization of exercise countermeasures to spaceflight using blood flow restriction.
- Loenneke, J. P., et al. (2011). Potential exercise countermeasures to attenuate skeletal muscle deterioration in space. Journal of Trainology
- Hackney, K. J., et al. (2012). Blood flow-restricted exercise in space. Extreme Physiology & Medicine, 1(1), 12
