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“After the game is before the game,” said coaching legend Sepp Herberger (DFB coach at the Miracle of Bern 1954). This is even more important than ever in today’s sports world with busy schedules. The sport has changed a lot in recent decades. Little things make all the difference in the world of sports, a hundredth or a reflex can make all the difference.
As a result, the sports technology business has grown steadily. Top stars like Cristiano Ronaldo or LeBron James swear by almost futuristic techniques to regenerate their golden muscles.
While amateur athletes try to speed up muscle recovery with stretching, jogging or an ice bath (for the brave), the elite resort to more complex and expensive routines and treatments.
cupping
The cupping method, which is still most accessible to mere mortals, is a gentle cupping massage where so-called cups are placed on the affected skin via negative pressure. The traditional method of therapy aims to relieve tension and support blood circulation. The application leaves round bruises, but is not painful.
Nati captain Granit Xhaka swore by the method when he was out with groin problems in the 18/19 season. More recently, Man City pro Jack Grealish or Manchester United’s Alejandro Garnacho have been seen sporting the iconic prints on their backs on social media. MMA fighter Conor McGregor was also treated with alternative medicine to his affected shoulder following his cycling accident last January.
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (also HBOT)
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is all the rage, especially among football professionals. The athletes go for about 90 minutes in a chamber where they breathe pure oxygen at elevated ambient pressure. The body can absorb about 20 times as much oxygen as normal breathing. This helps against swelling, inflammation and prevents fatigue after exercise.
However, this technology can also lead to better physical performance, because the blood circulation is stimulated and the blood is supplied with more oxygen. Cristiano Ronaldo, Marcus Rashford or Vinicius Jr. relied on HBOT. Novak Djokovic even had his own room with him at Flushing Meadows 2019. In Switzerland, a one-off treatment costs between 170 and 320 francs.
However, HBOT is not only used in sports. Oxygen therapy is also used, for example, in emergency care, for carbon monoxide poisoning or against Long Covid. For professional sports, the technology is being touted as a miracle, allowing injuries to heal much faster and athletes to perform even better.
cryotherapy
Cryotherapy is also very popular. During the cold treatment, the athletes are exposed to temperatures of up to -200°C. Like hyperbaric oxygen therapy, cryotherapy speeds overall recovery, reduces inflammation and swelling, relieves muscle pain and strengthens the immune system. This happens because the muscles are better supplied with blood due to the cold and therefore receive more oxygen.
Erling Haaland has such great confidence in the technology that the Norwegian had a cryo chamber installed in his home in England, which cost 56,000 francs. Special gloves are worn during therapy to prevent hypothermia or frostbite. Cristiano Ronaldo also had a private room on his estate during his time at Manchester United. Ice therapy can be performed in several places in Switzerland and a single treatment costs about 70 francs.
Cryotherapy can also be applied topically, allowing individual injuries to heal more quickly.
massage boots
The advantage of the clumsy-looking massage boots is that you can use them almost anywhere. For example, LeBron James needs the boots while being driven around LA. Massage shoes are part of the daily regeneration process for many athletes. The massage boots are divided into several air chambers, which are successively filled with air and thus exert pressure on the lymphatic vessels, veins and muscles.
It fights muscle pain and stimulates blood circulation. Several football stars such as Erling Haaland or Olivier Giroud have already invested in companies that market such massage boots. A pair of such boots costs between 500 and 1000 francs in Switzerland.
TECAR therapy
TECAR therapy is a combination of contact diathermy and electrotherapy. The body’s natural healing processes are stimulated using an electromagnetic circulatory system stimulator. The therapy is already used today in various physiotherapies. It is also part of most team doctors’ standard program.
But according to science writer Christie Aschwanden, the most effective way to recover is simple — and free. “The most effective recovery tool known to science is sleep,” assures the former professional athlete and author. Good night then! (jsl)
Source : Blick
I’m Emma Jack, a news website author at 24 News Reporters. I have been in the industry for over five years and it has been an incredible journey so far. I specialize in sports reporting and am highly knowledgeable about the latest trends and developments in this field.
