Written by APA Titled Sports Physio Britt Caling with information assistance from Shona Halson (Australian Institute Of Sports Recovery Specialist)
What is “Recovery”?
* Recovery allows the restoration of physiological (body) and psychological (brain) processes so that you can:
* Compete or train again at a similar level
* Allow adaptations to training to occur
* Increase the quality and quantity of training
* Reduce the risk of developing overuse injuries and
* Reduce risk of overreaching (overtraining) & symptoms
* And is therefore essential to performance!
* The body needs to be physically stressed (through exercise) to improve fitness. However, the body actually improves when at rest (ie during recovery) as recovery counteracts the physical damage that occurs during exercise.
* Improvements in fitness occur because of rest and recovery AFTER training.
* Competition, training, study/work and social stressors all contribute to fatigue. You need to Recover from all stressors to gain the maximum benefit to performance
Recovery strategies include:
* Hydrotherapy (water strategies)
* Rest and sleep
* Nutrition
* Warm-down and stretch
* Physio & Massage
* Compression Garments
* Psychological methods – ie. relaxation, mental imagery
Hydrotherapy options for Recovery:
* Contrast water therapy: alternating HOT/COLD WATER immersion
1) 1 minute in spa, 1 minute in plunge pool
* Repeat 5-7 times
2) Contrast Showers: 30 seconds warm to hot (comfortable temp), 30 seconds cold
* Repeat 3-5 times
3) Cold Water Immersion (IceBaths/ Cryotherapy)
* Accumulate 5min total time: 5min straight if possible, or 1min in:1min out x5
* Water temp <14degrees
Considerations for using Water Therapies for Recovery:
* If Fatigued: Cold Water Immersion shown to be the best. Aim for 10-12 mins in cold
* For Muscle Soreness (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness): Contrast water therapy shown to be the best. Aim for 15 mins in water starting and finishing on cold
* Submerging full body is important.
* Finish on cold if using hot/cold
* Pick 3-4 training sessions a week as there is a thought that too much cold water immersion may reduce normal inflammatory processes that are actually needed for tissue repair and recovery
* Do not use Cold water immersion in the 1hour prior to training/competition due to the reduction in nerve conduction velocities and possible effect on motor skills
Precautions
* DO NOT use hot/cold therapy if you have an illness (i.e. cold or virus)
* DO NOT use hot if you have an injury, open wound or bruising
* DO NOT use if you have Diarrhoea
For more thorough planning on how to individualise the use of Water Therapies to aid your recovery, talk to our Physio’s for full details. Phone us for an appointment on 07 5500 6470 or book online
