BFR GUIDE · COST
What blood flow restriction costs, and who pays for it in BC.
There is no separate BFR fee. You pay for the physiotherapy visit, and the insurers that cover physiotherapy cover that visit.
THE SHORT ANSWER
How much does blood flow restriction therapy cost?
At Launch Rehab, BFR is used inside a physiotherapy appointment and billed at physiotherapy rates, with no separate BFR charge as of April 1, 2026. A private initial assessment (60 minutes) is $170, a subsequent visit (30 minutes) is $105, and an extended subsequent visit (60 minutes) is $195. ICBC and WorkSafeBC physiotherapy on an approved claim is no charge to you, MSP-eligible rates are $147 and $82, and most extended health plans cover physiotherapy with direct billing.
BFR is a technique, not a service, so the visit is what you or your insurer pays for. Every coverage rule that applies to physiotherapy in BC applies to a session that includes the cuff. Rates below are as of April 1, 2026; the rates page is the source of truth if they ever differ.
AT A GLANCE
- BFR fee
- None. Billed as the physiotherapy visit
- Private
- $170 initial (60 min), $105 subsequent (30 min), $195 extended (60 min)
- ICBC and WorkSafeBC
- No charge to you on an approved claim
- MSP eligible
- $147 initial, $82 subsequent, $172 extended
PRIVATE PAY
Private rates and extended health
The rate card lists a $5 surcharge for IMS and for shockwave on a private session, and none for BFR. Most BC extended health plans include a physiotherapy benefit, usually an annual dollar maximum, and we direct bill most major insurers. Because a BFR block often runs 2 to 3 visits a week, the annual maximum matters more than the per-visit price. Check your plan's physiotherapy wording before the first visit.
CLAIMS
ICBC and WorkSafeBC
After a crash, ICBC pre-approves 25 physiotherapy sessions in the first 12 weeks with no referral, and physiotherapy on an active claim is no charge to you at Launch Rehab. After a workplace injury, WorkSafeBC funds physiotherapy on an accepted claim, also no charge to you, with pre-approval required. A visit that includes BFR is a physiotherapy visit under either. Some ICBC specialty services carry a fee; BFR is not one of them.
MSP
MSP supplementary benefits
For people who qualify on income, MSP contributes $23 per visit up to a combined 10 visits a calendar year across acupuncture, chiropractic, massage therapy, naturopathy, physiotherapy and non-surgical podiatry, as of the provincial page updated June 15, 2026. At Launch Rehab the MSP-eligible physiotherapy rates are $147 initial, $82 subsequent and $172 extended. Eligibility is confirmed before the first visit.
BUDGETING
How many visits a BFR block involves
The 2019 position stand describes 2 to 3 sessions a week, or a short daily block after surgery, and the trials in this hub ran from a few weeks to 14. Your plan is set at the assessment and built around what your funding supports. Where the budget is tight, supervised sessions are spaced out and the rest of the program runs at home without the cuff.
BOOK OR ASK
Check before you book if
- Your extended health plan requires a doctor's referral for reimbursement
- You have an open ICBC claim and are past the first 12 weeks
- Your WorkSafeBC claim is not yet accepted
- You may qualify for MSP supplementary benefits on income
BFR AT LAUNCH REHAB · NEW WESTMINSTER ONLY
Blood flow restriction is used inside a physiotherapy visit at our New Westminster studio, by Alex Carrod, registered physiotherapist. Book a physiotherapy initial assessment and mention BFR, or call the studio and describe the injury. There is no separate BFR appointment type and no separate BFR fee.
New Westminster
219-800 Carnarvon St, New Westminster, BC V3M 0G3
Inside Shops at New West, above New Westminster SkyTrain station
About this studioFAQ
Common questions.
No. As of April 1, 2026, the rate card lists surcharges for IMS and shockwave and none for BFR. The visit is billed at the standard physiotherapy rate for its length.
SOURCES
Where the facts on this page come from.
- Launch Rehab rates, physiotherapy (effective April 1, 2026) · Launch Rehab · Accessed 22 September 2026
- Accessing treatment during your first 12 weeks of recovery · Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC) · Accessed 3 September 2026 for the ICBC hub; re-confirmed 22 September 2026
- MSP supplementary benefits · Government of British Columbia · Page updated 15 June 2026. Accessed 22 September 2026
- Physiotherapy Services Reference Manual · WorkSafeBC · Accessed 22 September 2026
- Patterson SD, et al. Blood Flow Restriction Exercise: Considerations of Methodology, Application, and Safety · Frontiers in Physiology, 2019;10:533 · Published 15 May 2019. Accessed 22 September 2026
KEEP READING
More from the BFR guides.
- Booking, cost and safety
Your first BFR session
The screen, the calibration, the first set of thirty, and how your leg feels afterwards.
READ - Booking, cost and safety
Safety and who should not do BFR
Side-effect rates, the blood clot data, and the conditions that rule the cuff out or need a closer screen.
READ - Knees, surgery and tendons
BFR after ACL surgery
The strongest evidence: protecting the quad in the weeks when the graft cannot take heavy load.
READ
READY?
Book blood flow restriction physiotherapy in New Westminster.
Applied by a registered physiotherapist inside a physiotherapy visit at our New Westminster studio, after a health screen. Not sure BFR fits your injury? Call 604-519-0777 and describe what heavy loading does to the joint.