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KEY KNOWLEDGE

Physiological practices used to assist 
and improve recovery including heat,
ice, compression, hyperbaric
chambers, massage and sleep.
KEY SKILLS
Participate in, analyse and report on a
variety of nutritional and physiological
practices aimed at improving
performance levels and recovery.
© Cengage Learning Australia 2011
© Cengage Learning Australia 2011
Recovery
Aims to restore, both physiologically and
psychologically, the performer to pre-exercise or
competition levels in the shortest possible time.
If the recovery process is improved, training
adaptations will occur quicker and fully and training
frequencies and intensities will be able to be
maintained, or increased where appropriate.
© Cengage Learning Australia 2011
Hydrotherapy
Including :
•Contrast water therapy (alternate hot and cold)
•Cryotherapy (cold)
•Thermotherapy (hot)
•Pool and beach sessions
Contrast water therapy
• involves subjecting the body to alternate periods of how and cold
water based on alternating vascular vasodilation and
vasoconstriction and promoting increased blood flow which will:
• increase removal of wastes from working muscles
• increase supply of oxygen and fuels to working muscles
• decrease inflammation and swelling (oedema)
• increase circulation
• increase perceived recovery
• decrease likelihood and severity of DOMS.
© Cengage Learning Australia 2011
Contrast water therapy
Should be avoided if performers have:
•recent bruising or other injuries
•open wounds
•a history of heart disease
•a virus.
Where available a spa or plunge pool that allows partial submersion
should be used.
Spa – promotes muscle massage
Water submersion – creates hydrostatic pressure (compression)
© Cengage Learning Australia 2011
Cryotherapy
The therapeutic use of cold to cool the body
Ice packs are often used for localised soft tissue injuries to minimise
leakage of blood and serum into surrounding tissues, thus alleviating
swelling and pain
Cold water immersion involves part or whole body ‘dunking’ in ice baths:
• decreases acute inflammation
• reduces perception of pain
• lessens the impact of dehydration
• decreases core and tissue
temperatures to assist homeostasis
• reduces muscle spasms
• decreases blood flow
© Cengage Learning Australia 2011
Thermotherapy (heat therapy)
Often applied three days after cryotherapy is used and
assists soft tissue injuries/recovery
Often supervised by health practitioners; use of spas and heated pools is common
Thermotherapy :
•Increases blood flow
•Promotes removal of wastes
•Reduces muscle spasms
•Increases muscle elasticity and joint range of motion
•Increases neural transmission
•Contributes to increased feelings of relaxation
Note – should be avoided in hot environments where it contributes to elevated
body temperature, and immediately after sustaining a soft tissue injury
© Cengage Learning Australia 2011
Pool or beach sessions
• immersion in water results in compression of muscles
• salt water (beach) is denser than pool water and has greater
compressive effects
Water compression assists recovery by:
• reducing muscle swelling(counteracting capillary compression and normalising
oxygen delivery)
• increasing blood flow (delivery of oxygen and nutrients and removal of wastes)
• reducing the potential impact of DOMS,
Note: water immersion increases buoyancy and better relaxes gravitational
muscles.
© Cengage Learning Australia 2011
Compression garments
The medical world has used compression garments for many years to
reduce swelling, improve venous return and speed up recovery times.
Commercial compression garments worn by sports people create a
controlled compression gradient between them and the skin and they:
• increase blood flow and delivery of oxygen and nutrients to muscles
• facilitate quicker removal of waste products
• reduce venous pooling
• reduce muscle oedema(swelling)
• reduce the severity of DOMS
• increase perceived recovery rates.
© Cengage Learning Australia 2011
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT)
•Normal air contains 21% oxygen
•Hyperbaric chambers are pressurised with 100% oxygen and allow
greater amounts of oxygen to be dissolved in blood (increased amounts
taken up by plasma) to be transported to body tissues to enhance
recovery by:
• reducing swelling and oedema
• stimulating new blood vessel growth
• shortening the inflammation response
process
• preventing infection
• enhancing sleeping patterns.
© Cengage Learning Australia 2011
Sleep and rest
• rest is an important contributor to cell repair and the overall
recovery process
• sleep allows total physiological and psychological rest.
Detrimental effects from lack of sleep may include:
• decreased focus
• slower information processing rates
• impaired functioning of the immune system
• difficulty controlling emotions and increased irritability
• reduced memory
• increased feelings
of fatigue.
© Cengage Learning Australia 2011
Massage
Lots of anecdotal evidence exists to support the role of massage in the
recovery process with little scientific findings to support its role.
Massage involves manipulation of the body’s soft tissue (mainly
muscles) by applying pressure with the hands. Suggested benefits
include:
• increased blood flow and supply of oxygen and nutrients to muscles
• increased removal of waste products
• decreased muscle tension
• increased sense of well-being
• decreased perception of fatigue
• increased joint range of motion
• decreased muscle stiffness
• decrease anxiety
• reduced impacts of DOMS
• decreased muscle oedema (swelling).
© Cengage Learning Australia 2011