Sports injuries typically fall into two categories; acute injuries or overuse injuries. Both types of injuries are known to cause intense pain requiring the athlete or sports enthusiast to take time off or restrict their training schedule, with lost training time, often meaning reduced overall performance. As every sport comes with the potential for post-work our soreness, recovery is one of the most important aspects of sports training; it is a solution that helps athletes cope and quickly return to training after intense and heavy training as well as busy competition schedules. While the sports recovery market is continuously growing and evolving, both Pneumatic Compression and Infrared Light are two techniques that are crucial to the recovery process.
What Is Pneumatic Compression Therapy?
Compression therapy itself is nothing new, with compression socks and garments the preferred athletic wear of many athletes and sports enthusiasts as they are known to reduce muscle soreness after sprinting and plyometrics. Pneumatic compression therapy is a more intense type of compression therapy. They were initially intended for medical treatment of lymphedema, management of circulatory disorders and prevention of deep vein thrombosis. Pneumatic compression therapy is deeply rooted in medical science and has proven to significantly improve recovery after training as well as increase flexibility and range of motion.
Pneumatic compression is when air pressure is used to treat or support fluid circulation for the treatment area; it is said to reduce inflammation and swelling as well as promoting a healthy blood flow. Pneumatic compression is undertaken by the athlete wearing a system that replicates full length inflated pants, also known as sleeves. The sleeves are attached to the air pump and control panel that is programmed to provide external compression. As the compression rate is much higher than compression garments, it is done at an intermittent sequential pace, this is known as Intermittent pneumatic compression (IPC).
While the effects of IPC can be felt after just one session, the sessions needed will vary depending on how often and how intense your training program is.
What Is Infrared Light Therapy?
Infrared Light Therapy, also known as photobiomodulation, is a non-invasive therapy that is designed to relieve aching muscles, aid and speed up the recovery from sports injuries as well as improve overall wellness. The infrared light is known to direct specific wavelengths of light, from an LED light source, directly to the body part, with the light penetrating the skin and jumpstarting the tissue recovery. It does this by stimulating cell regeneration and increasing blood flow; essentially, it is designed to help the mitochondria in muscular cells complete their respiration cycle more efficiently, which makes the muscles suffer overall less fatigue.
Applying infrared light either before or after a workout has been known to show significant results, some athletes choose to do the therapy both before and after for added results. The most common practice is to get an infrared light therapy device; the device can be used as part of your training routine, or to treat specific injuries or problem areas that you may have. Another form of infrared treatment is the infrared sauna, which is a sauna that heats up using infrared light rather than steam, this is designed to get you to sweat, increase blood circulation and boost energy.
Using pneumatic compression therapy and infrared light therapy treatments can help you to see better results by helping to speed up the recovery process. However, it is always best to consult with your physician before starting a sports injury treatment.
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