January 25, 2024

A Little R&R

 
 
FOUR OF THE TOP SPORT PERFORMANCE & RECOVERY THERAPIES:
CRYOTHERAPY, ACTIVE RELEASE TECHNIQUE, GRASTON, ACUPUNCTURE

 

There is nothing worse for an athlete than being sidelined with an injury – many of which are not a result of trauma, but chronic overuse (believe me, I know!). With a little R&R — Relax and Recover — many of these injuries can be prevented and treated through a wide range of different therapy techniques. Here is our guide to 9 of the most popular and effective sport performance and recovery therapies — some old and some new. And as an added benefit, many are equally popular as wellness treatments for relaxation and overall wellbeing too.

CRYOTHERAPY

We first wrote about cryotherapy in 2015, when your intrepid editor decided to venture into a -238 degree chamber – yes, you heard right — before it became as widely popular as it is today. Cryotherapy was on our radar as a cutting-edge sports recovery tool, popular among top professional athletes, many of whom had their own cryochambers at home. Now cryotherapy studios can be found in everywhere and booking a session as easy as signing up for your favorite workout.  Read More

 

May 20, 2022

Good Vibes

 

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Amp up your workouts and recovery with some good vibrations! Vibration therapy is a powerful tool for muscle tension, pain relief, and increased flexibility — before, after, and even as your workout. Here are a few modalities to target every body part from head to toe.

POWER PLATE MOVE $2995. The Power Plate is a both a vibrating recovery and workout platform, and the space-saving MOVE offers the perfect combination of size and function. It utilizes multi-directional vibration technology that causes reflexive muscular responses for better balance, mobility, and strength development. Vibrating with a frequency of 25 to 50 times per second (25Hz to 50Hz), it works muscles harder and in a shorter time frame than with traditional methods. The Power Plate also stimulates lymphatic flush, improves circulation, and promotes faster recovery of damaged muscles, tendons, and joints.

TRIGGERPOINT MB VIBE BALL $79.95. With its spherical design, multi-directional rolling, and 3 vibration speeds, the TriggerPoint MB Vibe penetrates deep into muscles to target tightness and relieve pain far more effectively than a non-vibrating ball. Ideal for use before and after workouts, it loosens and lengthens muscles to increase flexibility, and reduce pain and stiffness. Just 4 inches in diameter, carry it with you to have on hand anytime! Read More

 

August 20, 2020

Heal Thyself

 

 

For many fitness lovers and weekend warriors, overuse injuries often come with the territory. Luckily there are chiropractors, acupuncturists, and massage therapists to get us back in action as fast as possible. When the coronavirus pandemic hit however, those practitioners’ offices closed, and with that went the treatments and therapies on which we’ve come to rely.

Though many sport and physical therapists’ offices are now open, with Covid fears and the pandemic lingering, some people are still reluctant to go, despite the safety precautions doctors and health practitioners have taken. While we can’t replace the hands-on techniques of a great physical therapist, there are a number of things we can do ourselves to keep those nagging injuries from becoming more serious.

One of my primary sport therapists is Dr. Peter Duggan of Fuel Spine & Sport in Manhattan, where in addition to skeletal adjustments, they use active release therapy, along with a variety of other muscular therapies and modalities to treat both recreational and professional athletes. He and I spoke about what recovery therapies we can do on our own when getting into the doctor’s office is not an option or as convenient as it once was. Read More

 

March 29, 2019

Strtchd & Lymbr

 

 

Stretching went Hollywood on Showtime’s Billions last Sunday when a mysterious blond showed up at finance tycoon Bobby Axelrod’s penthouse. We assumed she was there to provide some sort of service, but surprised to find out what it was. When U.S. Attorney Chuck Rhoades walks in on them and comments, “Here you are dry as a bone after a workout,”Ace replies, “No workout. Kelly just stretches me. She’s the best in the city.” Later in the episode, she would be seen stretching Rhoades.

While having a personal stretcher may be the new luxury for billionaires where once a masseuse’s hands would be, stretching — or getting stretched — has become one of the newest wellness trends to go mainstream with boutique stretching studios popping up across the country. In New York City, you’ve got Stretchd, Racked, and Lymbr — the latter with multiple bi-coastal locations. Nationwide there is Stretch Zone and StretchLab. Read More

 

January 22, 2018

31 Days of Wellness: The Final Countdown

 

 
Here we are in the final week of January’s 31 Days of Wellness! Our monthlong journey through the wellness landscape continues with more of the most buzzed about trends, classes, and nutrition. As you can see from above I’ve been busy with cryotherapy, hip hop yoga, thermal baths, Bulletproof coffee, infrared saunas, Spiderbands, mediation, and lots more! We kick it off this week with…
 

 
January 22: INVERSION THERAPY. Gravity boots, inversion tables and chairs… the practice and benefits of hanging upside down has been around for decades. I stumbled upon it today at a friends house who has a wall yoga set up I couldn’t resist giving a try.

For spinal decompression and traction, inversion therapy is often used to treat lower back pain. Overall, the benefits of relieving gravitational pressure on the spine and stretching the surrounding musculature are increased flexibility, better circulation, and improved posture. When standing upright, gravity pulls everything in our body downwards, most notably is blood. When you are inverted you reverse that blood flow in your body which turns on the lymphatic system to flush out toxins and boost the immune system. Read More

 

June 15, 2016

Shock To The System

 

 

As athletes, we are always on the quest for the latest innovation in sports medicine to prevent injuries from taking us out of the game. One of this editor’s go to resources is Duke Chiropractic, which offers full service sports rehabilitation. The latest innovation we discovered there is called “EPAT” or “Radial Shockwave Therapy.” EPAT stands for Extracorporeal Pulse Activation Technology, and is one of the most advanced and highly effective non-invasive treatments for neuromuscular disorders approved by the FDA.

In an overuse injury of a muscle or tendon, when we experience pain it is usually a result of inflammation. The body’s natural response is to create scar tissue to help heal the area, but according to Dr. Scott Duke of Duke Chiropractic, scar tissue reduces mobility, it is very weak and tears, and leads to the formation of more scar tissue and more pain. Probably most critical is that it lacks the blood supply to nourish and heal the injured area.

Enter EPAT, a regenerative treatment for tendon, muscle and bone disorders. Through a pneumatically controlled hand piece, compressed air produces a shockwave that delivers thousands of impulses deep within the tissue. These high frequency pressure waves feel like rapid fire zaps, and stimulate the body’s own reparative reaction, to enhance blood circulation and accelerate the healing process. Says Dr. Duke, ”With EPAT we can literally destroy scar tissue and help regenerate new tissue within the joint that prior to EPAT was too deep for our hands to reach.”

EPAT can be used to treat many painful soft tissue injuries, including Plantar Fasciitis, Achilles tendonitis, acute and chronic muscle pain and other conditions. At Duke Chiropractic they also use EPAT to treat frozen shoulder, post operative rotator cuff injuries, and even hip and knee replacements where scar tissue limits mobility and causes pain.

Radial Shockwave Therapy can also help the body produce more collagen — the protein that helps give tendons and ligaments their structure. There is an analgesic effect as well that can provide immediate pain relief. But probably the best news for athletes is that patients can continue activities immediately after treatment. There is no down time for those of us for whom there is nothing worse than being sidelined by a nagging injury.

 

August 1, 2014

Graston Technique

 

 
Medieval torture device or therapeutic healing method? The Graston technique feels like a bit of both. Six stainless steel tools, in different shapes, sizes and bevels, were originally designed by David Graston for athletes as to treat acute and chronic soft tissue injuries. Designed to break up scar tissue and facial restrictions, these tools are utilized by chiropractors, osteopaths, and physical therapists to stimulate the healing process. While I can attest the method is extremely effective, the scraping of a metal tool across inflamed muscles hurts like hell.

According to Dr.Peter Duggan, D.C., CSCS of Duke Chiropractic, our go-to resource for all sports injuries, “The tools pick up tissue differently than my hands. They are especially effective in treating sports injuries such as plantar fasciitis, IT band syndrome, Achilles, rotator cuff, calf and hamstring injuries.”

The curvilinear edges of the Graston instruments, combined with their concave/convex shapes, mold the to various contours of the body and catch on fibrotic tissue, which immediately identifies the areas of restriction. The instruments are then used to break up the scar tissue so it can be absorbed by the body. The pain one experiences is actually a small grade inflammation that is created which starts healing process.

For all us athletes, weekend warriors, or recreational sport and fitness enthusiasts who don’t want to be sidelined by nagging injuries, the Graston technique is a legitimate example of no pain no gain.

 
 

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