9 Alternative Recovery Techniques For Athletes

The most common injuries athletes experience includes ankle sprains, hamstring strain, groin pull, knee injuries, back injuries, fractures, tennis elbow, and concussion. Medical professionals highly recommend resting, applying ice compress, applying pressure or compression, and elevating the injured body part.

Returning from injury can be challenging for many athletes. It involves a difficult and lengthy process. During the rehabilitation period, athletes undergo strength and conditioning programs, including sport-specific activities to prepare for game return and to obtain full medical clearance. The recovery process needs adequate support, and alternative recovery techniques could help with this aspect.

Choosing The Best Technique

In this article, you’ll learn the different alternative recovery techniques for athletes. 

• Taking CBD For Muscle Recovery

Painkillers like paracetamol are usually used to help reduce the pain associated with sports injuries. Also, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in cream or tablet form and Ibuprofen could be used to reduce swelling and ease pain. 

However, these drugs have side effects such as nausea, constipation, sedation, and decreased breathing. This could be uncomfortable for users, ruining the other body functions and mindset of an athlete. For instance, giving an opioid analgesic can put an athlete at risk of developing an addiction to the drug.

Cannabidiol, particularly full spectrum CBD, is a great alternative recovery technique injured athletes may take in replacement of analgesic and other pain medications. It doesn’t cause any untoward adverse side effects and addiction, like how pain medications do. Mild side effects are tolerable, such as dry mouth and eyes, The athlete could address this by increased fluid intake.

Here are the good-to-know facts about CBD and how it can help with athletic injury recovery as an alternative treatment to taking pain medications:

• CBD Has Anti-inflammatory Properties: Cannabidiol in itself is an anti-inflammatory enhancer. Clinical studies showed that CBD has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. It could lower pro-inflammatory cytokine levels, inhibiting white blood cells (considered soldiers of the body) that promote inflammation.

• Use Of CBD Is Allowed For Athletes: Athletes can use CBD products, such as ingesting CBD oil and skin application of CBD balm to treat muscle injury and aid in recovery. CBD doesn’t appear on the list of prohibited substances from 2017 onwards, as per the World Anti-Doping Agency. The agency permits the use of CBD oil products in sports and competitions.

 

• Massage Therapy

Massage therapy may help reduce tense muscles and may make athletes feel better. Receiving a good massage is one of the recommended muscle recovery techniques for injured athletes. It is geared toward a more efficient muscle recovery process.  

According to a trusted source, people who receive a massage had lower cytokine levels, a stress hormone that causes inflammation, and they have higher mitochondria activity, that converts glucose into energy crucial in cellular repair.

Athletes can seek professional massage therapy or learn a few massage techniques that they can apply to themselves after training or competition. One recommended massage oil for massage therapy is CBD oil, which can be infused with other essential oils, such as lavender and chamomile. 

Effleurage, a gentle massage technique, is commonly used to improve recovery, using flattened hands and fingers to increase muscle temperature. Another massage technique to improve recovery is kneading, which involves pulling and squeezing the muscles. It creates friction between the fingers and skin. 

Massage therapy could be a great alternative recovery technique for athletes because of the following reasons:

• Improves Muscle Blood Flow: Because muscle tension buildup slows down recovery, massage may help stimulate and improve blood flow. Muscle tension causes muscular knots, restricting movement, and increased pain. Effleurage increases muscle temperature to relax and loosen muscle fibers to reduce tension and pain.
• Reduce Pain: Massage could help improve recovery in acute pain, post-surgery, and post-injury. Muscle tightness and muscle tension due to injury or surgery can cause pain, which is reduced with massage. 
• Increases Muscle Elasticity: Massage may help increase tissue elasticity that happens when the muscle temperature rises because of increased blood flow. A higher muscle elasticity means a greater ability of the muscle to stretch to its full length, so it can fully relax without restriction. 
• Increases ROM: Massage is known to increase range of motion (ROM), reducing restriction, better relaxation, and decreased pain to improve muscle recovery. 

• Stretching To Improve Muscle Blood Flow

Stretching is an excellent muscle recovery technique for athletes, improving blood flow to the muscle being stretched. This mechanism hastens the recovery process, in which the muscles become more ready to receive the right nutrients they need. 

Stretching helps improve the ROM of a particular muscle, improving muscle recovery, flexibility, and overall performance.

The two most common types of stretching include static stretching and dynamic stretching. Static stretching extends a muscle group to a certain point, holding it for a specific amount of time. On the other hand, dynamic stretching involves moving and working more than one muscle. Static and dynamic stretches could be highly beneficial for muscle injury recovery.

• Hydrotherapy 

Hydrotherapy is usually incorporated widely into different post-exercise recovery regimes. The body is believed to respond well to water immersion, making changes in the cardiovascular system, including the muscles, the skin, and the core. Temperature and blood flow changes have an effect on muscle soreness, immune function, perception of fatigue, and overall immune function.

• Therapeutic Cupping

Therapeutic cupping is an ancient alternative medical technique that has made a big comeback in sports medicine in the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. 

In therapeutic cupping, old, pooled, and stagnant blood from old injuries is flushed to aid in complete recovery. The cups are removed when the procedure is complete and the next step is irrigating the muscle with new, healthy blood rich in nutrients for faster recovery of the injured area. In this way, deep scar tissue heals quickly—scars due to muscle spasms, old injuries, surgery, and overuse injuries.

Here’s how therapeutic cupping works:

• During the treatment session, a cup will be placed on the skin.
• A suction pump is attached to the cup to create a vacuum. 
• The cup may be moved around using a massaging motion. It can be left in place for a few minutes and then removed. 
• While most people report little to zero discomfort, some might feel mild pressure during the procedure. Also, visible red marks may appear on the skin for a few days after the treatment. 

• Muscle Activation Technique

This systematic approach for assessing and treating muscular imbalances could help in faster injury recovery. Muscular imbalances impede recovery and significantly compromise performance, so this strategic stretching could provide a great recovery technique to bring balance back to the muscles.

During the procedure, the athletic trainer checks the athlete’s ROM, noting any imbalances and bilateral differences. The athlete is guided in performing a series of stretches to achieve full ROM and reduce muscle tightness.

• Laser

Laser therapy treatments are known to reduce muscle inflammation. This procedure doesn’t cause pain or any side effects and could be effective and safe in treating injuries. Laser therapy may help increase stamina, hasten recovery time, increase muscle blood supply, and prevent chronic injuries. 

This treatment takes around 10 minutes, depending on the injury or area being treated. The athlete and the laser professional both wear protective glasses during the treatment.

• Customized Corrective Exercises

The athletic trainer will personally create and guide the athlete through a customized corrective exercise program. Corrective exercises aim to correct faulty movements that cause injury or pain with proper execution to reduce pain. 

Performing corrective exercises could help athletes find pain relief without medication. Also, correcting incorrect movement patterns is known to help prevent future injuries associated with intense training and competition. The athletic trainer will perform a series of functional movement screenings. It will help determine the movements needed to be corrected. 

• Use Of Innovative Devices

Modern technology paved the discovery of innovative devices to help in treating sports injuries. Check the following technological devices used nowadays as alternatives to traditional treatments:

• Instrument-assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization Device: This device is believed to effectively break down fascial restrictions and scar tissue. It’s called the Graston technique, utilizing stainless steel instruments to treat areas exhibiting chronic inflammation and soft tissue fibrosis.

• Compression Device: It’s designed to promote faster recovery and rehabilitation, used in the arms, legs, and hips. This technology was created with athletes in mind, trying to help them recover after a performance or even during training sessions. Compression devices may eliminate harmful metabolites, allowing athletes to recover comfortably to help reach their full athletic potential.

• Hyperbaric Therapy: It’s believed to be a safe method of oxygen delivery to the cells and tissues, providing the optimal environment so the body can carry out essential cellular processes. This procedure aims to increase the body’s capacity to heal itself, using filtered pressurized ambient air, dissolving oxygen into the body fluids, tissues, and vital organs.

Conclusion

As you can see, there are many alternative recovery techniques for athletes who got injured while training or during competition. One great example is using CBD products, such as CBD balms and salves applied directly on the injured area to help relieve pain and swelling.

Stretching and massage therapy may help increase ROM, increase muscle elasticity, and ease pain for faster muscle recovery. Also, using innovative devices such as compression and soft tissue mobilization devices could aid in hastening recovery for sports injuries. 

With all of these alternative recovery techniques, athletes can choose the best ones they prefer, depending on their needs in attaining optimum athletic performance. 

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