Sports Science and Injury Minimization

[Xenos]

Nutrition and a healthier lifestyle are also an important part of combating injuries. The best recent example is our very own Melvin Ingram, who has not missed a game since 2014.

https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sports/chargers/sdut-chargers-melvin-ingram-weight-loss-2015may25-story.html

Melvin Ingram went to Miami this offseason.

Somebody new returned.

The new man swears off beef and pork and doesn't touch bread, potatoes or pasta. He guzzles water between a fish- and chicken-centered intake that involves fruit, vegetables and rice. For breakfast, he scarfs down egg whites. On some days, it's oatmeal.

His athletic trainer in Miami paired regimen with a revamped diet.

Asked the results, the new man cracks an old smile.

"Voila," Ingram said.

The Chargers outside linebacker weighed 266 pounds last season. Ingram 2.0 is 20 pounds lighter, down to 246 with 8 percent body fat. The lighter and leaner version is gravitating toward a larger leadership role. He'll be on the field Tuesday for the start of organized team activities (OTAs).

The 26-year-old says he lost weight not because of external pressure from the Chargers or otherwise. He did it because it was something he wanted after missing 19 games the past two years, including seven in 2014 from a hip injury.

He is two years removed from a torn anterior cruciate ligament.

"Being at 260 or 265, 266, wasn't working, really," Ingram said. "I felt quick but I kept getting injured. You've got to nitpick at your own body, your own self, your own game. ... I felt like playing lighter would be a better thing for me. The lighter you are, the less stress it is on your body, the less stress it is on your knees, your hips, your joints or your ankles, your toes -- everything."

So, he went to Miami.

He met with David Alexander, owner of DBC Fitness, and expressed desire to become bigger, faster and more powerful. It sounded simple; Alexander could do that. The trick was Ingram wanted to lose 20 pounds in the process.

Their work began.

They trained twice a day, a weightlifting session in the morning and a more cardio-, plyometric-based afternoon workout, often including boxing. The two-a-days were done six days a week, Sunday the established rest day.

But that wouldn't be enough.

To build Ingram's body, they had to break it down.

Alexander found him to be dehydrated and prescribed a gallon of water a day. His diet was all wrong, eating foods that were either too processed or containing too much flour. His digestive system was overworked; red meat was scrapped in favor of more easily digestible proteins.

Sleep was important, too.

At least eight hours a night.

Alexander likened Ingram's discipline to a robot. As body fat decreased, Ingram gained strength because his muscles were working more efficiently, he said.

"As quick as two or three days, he noticed his energy levels go way up," Alexander said in a Monday phone interview. "He became obsessed with the process."

[Xenos]

More things on nutrition and wellness in general in the NFL:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/wellness/what-we-can-learn-from-nfl-players-wellness-routines-no-pricey-trainer-required/2016/06/14/e84b87f4-29ed-11e6-b989-4e5479715b54_story.html?utm_term=.fc60e8ff9973

" 'Nutrition' is a turnoff for people," she told me by phone. "It means 'things I don't like.' " She said that because "football players want to perform better," framing healthy food as "fuel" for "their internal equipment" produces a better response.

Not everyone is going to want to be as strict in their diets, but some might be interested to learn that Landry is also a fan of Pilates. Saying he does it "for that core strength, that overall strength," the wide receiver credited the discipline with helping him overcome hamstring issues that plagued him at the start of his NFL career. He said that he had gotten many of his Miami teammates to take it up as well.

Even as someone who ran his way to the NFL, Gordon found that running is "definitely a big thing in this league." He noted that San Diego tight end Antonio Gates likes to get in a couple of miles on the treadmill every day, and he described a workout that helps another teammate, linebacker Melvin Ingram, maintain explosiveness.

According to Gordon, who occasionally adds the drill to his own routine, Ingram starts off with 30 seconds on a treadmill at 8 mph, then slows for a minute, then adds a half-mph for successive sets until he tops out at 13 or 14. "Running should be universal," Gordon said, adding that he would advise average folks to get in plenty of core work as well.

[Xenos]

I wonder if we have a director of sports nutrition. Also this is a lot of fish!

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/redskins/875-pounds-of-fish-54-dozen-eggs-and-a-kombucha-machine-a-week-feeding-an-nfl-team/2018/08/28/4e5e0d36-aada-11e8-a8d7-0f63ab8b1370_story.html?utm_term=.49ca548477e6

Jake Sankal, an assistant strength and conditioning coach for the Washington Redskins who doubles as the team's director of sports nutrition, an increasingly prevalent position in the NFL, works with chef Connor McGuire to pick out menu options for the week. It's just one of Sankal's tasks when it comes to completing his main objective: feeding an entire NFL team while keeping the players in top shape before and throughout the season.

"What we try to do more than just being the food police is provide them healthy options," Sankal said. "We focus a ton on quality food here. That's really the biggest thing we do. And then we try to educate them."

Sankal's job consists of constantly thinking about hydration levels, snacks, proteins, carbohydrates, body composition and meal prep -- all of which are part of the dietitian revolution sweeping college and professional football.

In 2007, 13 NCAA institutions and one NFL team -- the New England Patriots -- had a full-time sports dietitian, said Chelsea Burkart, president of the Collegiate and Professional Sports Dietitians Association. Now 84 colleges and 20 NFL teams, including the Redskins, have one.

Sankal has seen an increased interest in nutrition from players since he started talking about it as a strength and conditioning intern in the Cleveland Indians' minor league system in 2010. He talks with players about nutrition strategies and diets they see on Twitter, Instagram or Netflix documentaries, and uses the conversation as an access point to talk about best practices outside nutrition that can help them.

"There's a certain level of proprietary stuff that they do, but the majority of it is all fundamental good nutrition," Sankal said. "I think you'll see more similarities than not between teams."

Hydration is also key because it complements nutrition in recovery, which is a 24-hour process. Before training camp each season, the team tests players' sweat for sodium concentration to determine which water bottles they need to use during practice. Water bottles with black tape contain a high concentration of tasteless, invisible electrolytes (about 1,500 milligrams per liter), and bottles with white tape have a moderate concentration (about 1,000). Players can lose anywhere from two to five pounds during one practice, Sankal said.

In his nutrition planning, Sankal classifies players into one of three body types: "Big guys" (linemen), "skill guys" (wide receivers, running backs) and "combo" (linebackers, defensive ends, some quarterbacks). For achy-jointed big guys, he recommends fish. Skill guys get generally leaner diets because their body compositions can change quickly.

[wu-dai clan]

I'll have the chicken.

[La Costa Boy]

Some Mahi fillets please soaked in fresh squeezed lemon/orange juice with a heap of chopped garlic. Sear over a nice hot charcoal fire, Viola.....

[Xenos]

Everyone's favorite dynasty has their own unique program as well.
https://www.si.com/edge/2016/08/18/h...gland-patriots

Why hamstring injuries are so common in the NFL

Ian McMahan
8-10 minutes

---

For those that spend Sundays watching NFL football, injuries seem a virtual certainty, part of the price that comes with playing a sport defined by collisions. While that's largely true--football holds the distinction of being the sport with the highest rate of injury--less than 30% of the knee or leg injuries are created by highlight-reel hits and collisions. This means that in the ultimate contact sport, injuries often result from the athletic moves common to other sports--quick cuts, accelerations and full-speed sprints.

And no injury may be more indicative of the significance of non-contact injuries than a strain or "pull" of one of the three hamstring muscles in the back of the thigh.

Though some may consider it a benign injury when compared to the more graphic head and knee injuries in football, hamstring strains keep many of the NFL's biggest names on the sideline. In fact, Ezekiel Elliott, Vincent Jackson, Alshon Jeffery and Matt Forte are just a few of the NFL players to be laid low by hamstring injuries in the early preseason.

"A number of NFL coaches don't take muscle injuries seriously," says Dr. Marcus Elliott, director of P3 Applied Sports Science and former physiologist and muscle injury specialist to the New England Patriots. It's Elliott's belief that this is one of the underlying factors in why the injury continues to plague NFL teams.

The reason for many of those non-contact hamstring injuries may actually lie in the oft-ignored offseason and preseason. Preseason games don't count but the injuries sustained during that time do--what happens in the preseason definitely doesn't stay in the preseason. Hamstring problems that occur during training camp--and Elliott's 10-year analysis of NFL hamstring injuries indicates that over 50% of hamstring injuries are during the preseason--often recur or lead to other injuries during the regular season.

Part of the problem may be that, despite complaints that the NFL preseason is too long, preparation for the season may be inadequate.

"Training in professional sports is often on the soft side, since strength and conditioning professionals don't want athletes to get injured during intensive training," Elliott says. "But the rigors of football are so high that if training camp doesn't prepare athletes for high force, high stress movements, then players will be vulnerable to injury."

It's something that Elliott terms defensive medicine, a scenario in which teams fall short of the mark in fear that the kind of intense conditioning needed to prepare players for the stresses of football will injure players.

"When a player gets injured in a game, that's seen as bad luck, but if a player gets hurt in a strength and conditioning setting that someone's job," Elliott says.

Dr. Tim Hewett, director of biomechanics at the Mayo Clinic and a long time advisor to Ohio State football, speculates that while NFL players are at the top 1% of skill and athleticism, small deficits in critical areas can lead to injury.

"The act of repeatedly practicing a sport creates asymmetry," says Hewett. "With the amount of time professional athletes have spent focusing on their skill, I see as much asymmetry in them as I do anywhere else."

Hewett maintains that the NFL can learn from research in other sports, like soccer or rugby. "There is the belief among many in the NFL that their sports is different, but since most of the injuries in football are non-contact, sports medicine and injury research from other team sports can be applied to football."

From a team perspective, understanding how the intensity and length of the offseason and preseason preparatory times is critical for injury prevention. The paradox of the preseason is that longer and harder preseasons, provided that they progressively ramp up to full intensity, may actually result in a lower number of injuries during the season. Many of the injuries that are experienced during the preseason can be blamed on a relative lack of conditioning and strength.

"While you may not see as many injuries initially with a less physically strenuous training camp, a hamstring or soft tissue injury will rear its head at some point during the long season if the player is not conditioned properly," says Sam Bell, athletic trainer and physical therapist for the Baltimore Ravens.

Elliott indicates that many teams have a lot of room to improve injury prevention, especially for hamstring injuries.
"If teams implement reasonably smart hamstring injury prevention programs, these injuries can largely be prevented," he says. "It's important to realize that injuries aren't simply bad luck--you can affect these things and prevent injury."

In 1999 and 2000, hired by the New England Patriots because the owner of the team was tired of seeing his players go down with hamstring injuries, Elliott implemented a program aimed at applying then current injury research to hamstring injuries in the NFL. What resulted was a program so effective the Patriots considered it a competitive advantage over the rest of the league.

But Elliott, a Harvard trained physician and sports scientist, stresses the content of the program wasn't the part that was revolutionary. The Patriots, instead of simply treating hamstring injuries when they occurred, actually tried to prevent the problem.

Initially intended as a research project, Elliott and the Patriots' sports medicine staff began the program by individually assessing the team at the end of the season to identify potential weaknesses and imbalances. These factors included hamstring muscle strength, muscle coordination, pelvic alignment while sprinting, and running technique. Players were then given a position-specific program that corrected any observed deficiencies, even addressing sprinting technique. The results were significant: prior to implementing the program, the Patriots had 22 players suffer hamstring injuries, but after the program was implemented that number dropped to three and then two the following season.

Although the science supporting prevention programs is well established--results often show huge reductions in the risk of muscle and knee injuries--health professionals like Elliott and Hewett have had difficulty convincing NFL teams that spending time on addressing the risk factors that predispose athletes to injury is worthwhile.

Hewett hypothesizes that part of that problem may be time as the NFL's Collective Bargaining Agreement limits the amount of offseason time that players can spend with team trainers, physical therapists and strength coaches. "Less time with the professionals that keep them healthy likely means more injury," say Hewett.

Preventing hamstring injuries may be easier than the NFL injury report would indicate. It all comes down to implementing injury prevention programs that may be seen as too expensive or too time-intensive in a sport where resources aren't always directed towards prevention.

"Hamstring injuries are the low-lying fruit of sports medicine," says Elliot. "Preventing them doesn't require high-tech programs."

[Xenos]

If you got the money to spend, why not right?

https://www.espn.com/blog/pittsburgh-steelers/post/_/id/24375/hydrations-massages-ivs-yoga-what-nfl-players-spend-upwards-of-300000-on-to-stay-young

Fighting age with money can strengthen job security in the NFL, which often eschews capable free agents for cheaper rookies.

More than 150 free agents are unsigned as of late July. The NFL saw its average age dip 0.6 years (27.2 to 26.6) from 2006 to 2015.

For veterans maintaining jobs and hoping for bodily cooperation, a personal trainer and the occasional massage simply aren't enough. The new formula for NFL spending: reduce inflammation, increase tax write-offs, play longer.

"The great ones who last, it's all about recovery," said retired offensive tackle Ryan Harris, who played from 2007 to 2016. "Hydrations, IVs, meditation, yoga."

The yearly budget can vary wildly. There's James Harrison ... and then there's everyone else. $300,000: The James Harrison plan

Nothing makes your morning elliptical workout feel inadequate quite like watching Harrison lift obscene amounts of weight on Instagram. Even his modest workouts get, at minimum, 100,000 views online. Fans watch the work that keeps Harrison playing at a high level in his late 30s.

What you don't see? Harrison huddled over a computer to price out a series of flights and itineraries.

For his muscles to handle the lifting sessions and the NFL grind, Harrison says he needs an acupuncturist, a dry needlist, three massage therapists, two chiropractors and "a person who does cupping."

But Harrison, 39, doesn't surf the net and read reviews like the rest of us. He goes underground for the most exclusive specialists.

"The people I use right now, you can't find none of them on Google," Harrison said.

That's where the $300,000 comes into play. Once he heard about these elite technicians and tried their services, he had to put them on the payroll. They are based in different parts of the country, including California and New York, so he pays their airfare and expenses to get them to town when he needs them.

"I see everybody at least once a week," Harrison said.

He books these flights on his own time, without an assistant. When asked about the arduous task of finalizing all these plans, Harrison treats the job like a set and just reps each schedule.

"It don't take more than a couple of hours," Harrison said. "I've had everything planned out since April."

Harrison estimates he has spent the past seven to eight years finding the right concoction of doctors and specialists, which he believes has led to his career longevity. Harrison has produced at least five sacks in each of the past three seasons and signed a two-year extension this offseason.

He has easily spent millions on recovery, though he has signed contracts worth nearly $70 million during his career.

Harrison hasn't done the math. He's busy factoring the results.

"I don't need to do the checks and balances like that," he said. "When it comes down to it, what I make versus what I spend, the payout is worth it based on how I feel."

"I'm still here." $200,000: The Harrison understudy

As if torpedoing into other humans on Sundays in the fall wasn't enough, Steelers safety Mike Mitchell needed more muscle-smashing this offseason.

He's in the Harrison farm system of high-income recovery methods, so anything experimental is fair game. Mitchell's latest trade secret? Venturing into the world of body tempering, which is basically foam rolling with about 120 pounds of metal.

Mighty painful, Mitchell points out twice.

"Instead of rolling on it, it rolls on you," said Mitchell, 30. "If you had any knots in your leg and they start moving that thing around, it gets painful at times. But when you stand up, you're loose immediately. It just smashes [the tension] out."

Mitchell, who's due a base salary of $5 million this year, estimates he has dedicated more than $200,000 -- or 4 percent of his income -- to various methods of recovery and training in a calendar year.

Mitchell has transitioned to daily massages ranging from Thai style to getting stretched while being massaged, along with a routine of dry-needle acupuncture, body tempering and an intense offseason regimen at Performance Enhancement Professionals in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Mitchell had a blueprint to follow with Harrison, his training partner in Arizona. Harrison told Mitchell what he has told others who ask for guidance: You use your body to make money, so it's common sense to take care of it.

"He's 39 years old. He hasn't [stayed in the NFL] by accident. That's all a well-thought-out plan," said Mitchell, who has added 10 pounds of muscle this offseason. "I'd like to do something similar. I'd like to play well into my 30s. I think I can do it as long as I stick to the plan and stay healthy. I'm getting paid fairly decent for this season, so for me, it wasn't like I was wasting it partying. [The money] was all productive to help get me better to improve my longevity."

Mitchell doesn't follow every formation in the Harrison playbook, though. Mitchell tried cupping once, and "it made my skin red," he said. $50,000: The NFL veteran

Nose tackle Barry Cofield played 10 NFL seasons and is enjoying retirement. He had 310 career tackles and 19.5 sacks and signed a $36 million deal with the Washington Redskins in 2011. Life is good.

But after staying in shape since leaving the game in 2015, Cofield wonders whether the $50,000 per year he spent on recovery was enough.

"If I were to go back, I would invest even more," said Cofield, 33. "I'd probably spend twice as much. I was very healthy the first eight years of my career. Toward the end, maybe more treatments would have helped."

Cofield and Harris both agree that $50,000 should be a baseline for veterans to play eight to 10 years.

Costs range from housing and training expenses while out of state for weeks or months at a time, dietary needs that sometimes include an in-house chef and a variety of treatments designed to relieve joints and muscle aches.

Not all players are sold on spending big. Free-agent tight end Gary Barnidge considers himself a throwback, relying on massages, cold tubs and a good diet but not much else. Veteran cornerback William Gay's go-to training? "Prayer," he said.

But having a 300-pound body tends to shift perspective. As Harris got older, the recovery possibilities grew more expansive. Offensive linemen routinely spend $10,000 per year on massages alone, players such as Harris and Steelers guard David DeCastro say.

It's not just to get the body ready for football, Harris said. Recovery helps prepare for sleep.

"Getting eight or 10 hours of sleep is crucial for performance," Harris said. "So your body has to be well-rested. That's difficult if things are out of whack."

Steelers linebacker Arthur Moats can relate. He calls a hyperbaric chamber an "expensive sleeping bag," so he bought a souped-up Tempur-Pedic bed instead.

A $50,000 baseline allows experimentation.

Last summer, Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier tried vitamin infusions via IV at The Drip Room in Scottsdale, Arizona. Sessions for nonmembers are $149. Treatment options include everything from inflammation to energy.

Shazier is willing to try new things for the greater good.

"If you pay $100,000 and you make an extra $3 million playing, that's an easy decision," Shazier said. $20,000: Ballin' on a budget

Coming from the University of Houston, Steelers receiver Demarcus Ayers was naive to the world of recovery outside of the occasional cold tub. So Ayers had to laugh when he found himself searching for toe stretchers online because Antonio Brown told him they help alleviate post-practice foot stress.

Luckily, the stretchers cost only around $40. But while playing on a rookie deal set to pay $540,000 this year, Ayers can't spend like Brown, who just signed a $68 million extension. He must get creative with his recovery methods.

That meant spending to be a baller on the field, not off.

"You've just got to make sacrifices," Ayers said. "In college, you don't have much money. In high school, your coaches take you places and make sure you are fine. But when I got here, I was like, man, I don't know if I can do that. My budget is a little bit shorter than other guys. I had to stop thinking like that and change my mindset and cut back on things I wanted to buy, wanted to do. Whether clothes or shoes, that's money I can invest in my body. Lately, I've been getting great results."
Ayers prioritized a budget of around $200-300 per week in the offseason and $500 during the season. He gets massages consistently and also enjoys 30-minute sessions of oxygen therapy.

Steelers tight end Xavier Grimble, also scheduled to make $540,000 this year, saves money by using all the benefits of the team facility, from the cold tub to extra stretching with trainers.

Grimble goes to Whole Foods three to four times per week, so he's hoping a proper diet will help stave off early retirement. Keeping produce and seafood fresh can be a challenge -- salmon and kale are his favorites -- so frequent trips to the store help.

"I trust the fact if I take care of myself, then I'll earn my money back," Grimble said.

[Xenos]

Five workout for NFL players to recuperate and recover. Not sure how scientifically sound the Eastern medicine route is ie. acupuncture and dry needling. But the others seem pretty legit.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000396474/article/rapid-recuperation-five-workout-recovery-strategies

1. Proper nutrition refueling your body after a tough session is a must

Depleted electrolyte and glycogen levels, as well as muscle tissue damage, often occur during an intense workout. The first priority is to rehydrate. The actual recovery process should start by drinking 17-20 ounces of water or sports drink two to three hours pre-workout. Then drink another seven to 10 ounces 10 to 20 minutes before the workout. During the exercise, drink seven to 10 ounces every 10 to 20 minutes in a shaded area. Also, avoid soda pop or carbonated drinks of any kind during the session.

The post workout goal is to consume 125 to 150 percent of the fluids lost. This process of total refilling should be completed within two hours of the workout. This post event hydration should contain water to restore hydration levels, carbohydrates to replenish glycogen stores and electrolytes to speed the rehydration process.

Now that hydration levels are replenished, a combination of carbohydrates (fruits, vegetables, breads, pasta, etc.) and quality proteins (around 20-30 grams) are needed within 45-60 minutes of the workout to help the body recover and repair. If food is not available, a ready-to-drink shake or powder product is ideal for getting quality carbohydrates and proteins.

2. Active recovery

A proper cooldown after the workout can significantly reduce post-exercise soreness. Active recovery consists of easy, low-level and gentle exercises that work the muscles for at least 10 minutes to allow for circulation of blood throughout the body. This helps to eliminate any waste products such as lactic acid. Active recovery can include a light jog, bike, swim or light movements to oxygenate the body tissue.

During this active recovery period, I have found it beneficial to include three-dimensional stretching or yoga poses to assist the process.

3. Cold tubs/contrast baths/hot tubs

Another effective method to promote recovery is the use of cold tubs, hot tubs and contrast baths.

Cold tub plunges should last around 10 minutes at 50 to 59 degrees, and will cause immediate constriction of the blood vessels. Then, after being in the cold tub for 10 minutes, the blood vessels will dilate and "new" nutrient rich blood from other parts of the body will be transported back to the muscle regions creating a flush-like effect to the lactic acid.

Contrast baths are the alternating of cold tub plunges and hot tubs. In order to be effective, this must be done within 30 minutes of workout completion. The cold tub should be 50 to 59 degrees and the hot tub should be 95 to 100 degrees. Start this process by going into the cold tub for one minute followed by three minutes in the hot tub. Complete this cycle four times and finish with an additional minute in the cold tub.

Hot tubs will cause blood vessel dilation, which brings vital nutrients to muscles and body tissue. I've seen better results for immediate post-workout recovery by use of cold tubs or contrast baths. I believe hot tubs are most effective when they're used 12 to 24 hours post workout because of dehydration issues, or used a few hours pre-workout to help warm up the muscles.

4. Professional assistance (massage, joint manipulation, acupuncture/dry needling)

The benefits of massage are many, including increased blood flow, thus improving nutrients to a specific area. Other benefits include relaxation, endorphin release (body's own natural painkillers) and improved flexibility.

Joint manipulation performed by licensed medical practitioners can have a huge influence on restoring the athlete's ability to move effectively and enhance sports performance.

Acupuncture/Dry Needling is the use of needles by licensed medical professionals to help promote tissue healing. Acupuncture is based on the theoretical framework of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) in which the needles are strategically placed along specific meridians that theoretically alters the flow of Qi, or energy flow, whereas dry needling is based on a traditional western musculoskeletal framework. Dry needling includes, but it is not limited to, the needling of taut bands of muscle (i.e. trigger points), but also perineural needling and needle puncture of tendons, ligaments, musculotendinous junctions and bone.

5. Rest & sleep

Rest is often an overlooked option to maximizing recovery. Many times, some of the world's best and most driven athletes do not give their bodies enough time to recover and repair in between workouts. Finding that happy medium of work to rest to maximize performance is a must. Finding this delicate balance depends on many factors, such as intensity and duration of the workout, which body parts were emphasized, athletes age, medical history and condition, scheduling, personal life requirements, nutrition and sleep habits to name a few.

Proper sleep is paramount in effectual recovery. Experts state that at least 7.5 to 8 hours of sleep a day are needed to maximize recovery. To improve the ability to sleep, sleep in a dark or low-lit cool room while lying on a comfortable bed.

[Xenos]

Once again, I wonder how scientifically sound these unique recovery methods are. Or if it's mainly a placebo effect:

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000622081/article/unique-recovery-methods-for-football

Recovery is the process of returning to a normal healthy condition. This is often a difficult challenge with the size, strength, speed and power of our current football players. Who would have thought we would see the day when a 300+ pound offensive lineman would run a sub 4.6 second 40-yard dash, or where a defensive lineman chases down a wide receiver with 4.3 speed from behind?

As a medical professional that trains and treats many NFL players, getting the players back onto the field quickly and safely is a demanding endeavor. Obviously, there are some well known and proven methods of recovery, such as massage, ice baths, electrical stimulation and proper sleep and nutrition to name a few. This article will take a look at some relatively unknown recovery strategies.

Cupping

Cupping is a centuries-old technique in which small cups are placed onto the body's surface and suction is created to significantly increase blood flow to a particular area that will then help with recovery. The cups are left on the body anywhere from two to 10 minutes. Many times, this can be an alternative or an adjunct to a massage.

Vasopneumatic Devices

These devices, like the NormaTec, are created to cause specific pulsing compressions via air onto body limbs that will increase circulation to specific areas. These devices can be applied to the legs, arms, shoulders and hips to help speed up muscle recovery, flush waste products like lactate and help decrease muscle soreness.

Acupuncture/Dry Needling

This is the technique of using solid filiform needles to treat various forms of soft tissue ailments among other things. Sometimes the needles are connected to an electrical stimulation machine while in the person's body to further increase energy flow to that area.

Whole Body Cryotherapy

This is different than cold tub immersions in that the whole body, except the head, is exposed to three minutes of temperatures between -200 to -250 degrees Fahrenheit. This exposure to extreme cold causes severe vasoconstriction followed by rapid vasodilation, which brings in a larger amount of blood flow.

Ozone Therapy

Even though this is used more frequently in Europe, it is gaining popularity in North America. Ozone therapy is the use of medical grade ozone a form of oxygen) to increase the amount of oxygen in the body. It is usually injected or introduced via an IV. Ozone therapy is believed to improve muscle and wound recovery, help the immune system and improve the body's ability to increase its antioxidant capabilities and protection.

Underwater Treadmill

The HydroWorx system is the latest in aquatic therapy. Here, the athlete receives the benefits of warm water (improved circulation and less street/load onto the muscles and joints) while moving on a treadmill (actively recruiting the neuromuscular system) to improve pain and mobility after a tough game.

Altitude Simulation Oxygen Tents

These clear tents are usually set up around the athlete's bed in which O2 is partially removed, not added to the tent. Once the player is exposed to this low level of oxygen for a certain amount of time (usually while sleeping), it causes the body to produce more red blood cells that carry oxygen throughout the body. Theoretically, this should help the player with his recovery due to an increase in oxygen (via more red blood cells). This is like high-altitude training, but without exposure to higher elevations.

The team that is able to keep more of their players healthy has the best chance of winning, and the search for any legal edge in recovery is a never-ending process.

[Xenos]

Analytics isn't just used during a football game. It's also used for injury prevention:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/simonog.../#6af83e715635

NFL teams are engaging in a variety of initiatives which focus on improving injury prevention. One team, in particular, has partnered with a Silicon Valley startup in an effort to bring big data and predictive analytics to analyzing players' injury risk and to develop personalized injury prevention plans based on the player's position and data about their on-field play. As first reported by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Pittsburgh Steelers have teamed with Sparta Science to bring a high-tech approach to their injury prevention plans.

One perk of using Sparta's tech, which hasn't been lost on the players, is the ease of collecting the data needed. A player needs only to step onto a force plate, which resembles a traditional scale, and perform simple tasks, like jumping or holding a plank for 60 seconds, for the system to compile its data. Wagner also mentioned that players aren't told much, in an effort to keep the data is pure as possible. "The best technology is invisible," Wagner says.

Once the task is completed, Sparta is able to analyze the thousands of data points for each individual player and, through machine learning, determine the player's risk of concussion or injury and other risks, such as a knee or foot injuries, based on their current condition.

"We generally have been able to save 18 percent of all injuries for a given NFL team," Wagner says.

Injury prevention not only keeps NFL teams healthier, which in turn it results in a higher probability of playoff chances and ticket sales, but it also reduces insurance costs to cover rehabilitation for football's major injuries. Sparta has said this has also trickled into the college game, which has used the company to lower their premiums due to fewer on-field injuries.

Sparta told the Pittsburgh P-G that the cost to use the system depends on who they are working with and the type of applications each organization is looking to use. The startup's biggest client is actually the U.S. Military, which pays millions of dollars to use data to prevent injuries during combat.

[Xenos]

Biometrics and analytics for injury prevention?

https://blogs.bmj.com/bjsm/2016/05/14/financial-impact-of-injury-biometrics-and-communication-lessons-from-mit-sloan-sports-analytics-conference-2016/

One of the most interesting research presentations at the conference applied advanced machine learning techniques to predict the probability of injury70% likelier to yield a goal than when he isn't involved- how might an injury to his ever-present midfield partner Danny Drinkwater affect this (and Leicester's chances of securing the Premier League)? Answers to these questions may contribute to a greater understanding of the fascinating concept of team cohesion and winning.

Biometrics - The Next and Biggest Analytics Frontier?

During his talk, Glockner argued that the use of biometry represents the most significant opportunity for teams to gain an edge over their competitors. Biometrics refers to biological data which may be important for keeping an athlete healthy. Examples include the data input into personal apps by athletes (including sleep quality, soreness etc) and those collected by global positioning systems (including indicators of workload). Glockner proposed that figuring out which data is most helpful in predicting injury will be a major discussion point in the future. In light of this revelation, recent research published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine cites the acute: chronic workload ratio as a strong predictor of subsequent injury.

Big data collecting systems are now essentially ubiquitous in professional sport but as Brian Kopp of Catapult Sports suggests, "the advantage is never going to be merely in having access to the data. It will be in what you do with it". With such widespread data available, there has inevitably been inappropriate use of technology in sport. Stephen Smith, founder and CEO of Kitman Labs, feels that the availability of such data has wrongly led to a tendency to hold athletes back - stating during the Sport Science panel at SSAC that: "Every time we hold an athlete back we limit their potential. It shouldn't automatically be 'we should stop the athlete from participating', instead we should consider how else we can train and treat them, how can we do something incredibly intelligent with the data to improve the outcome".

[Xenos]

Cryosaunas as a recovery tool? Not sure what "toxins" are exactly. So once again, I wonder how much of this is a placebo effect.

https://www.si.com/tech-media/2016/08/03/tampa-bay-buccaneers-cryosaunas-recovery

"When you get into the chamber at negative-200-240, it's too cold for the body to comprehend," Buccaneers dietician Kevin Luhrs told the team website. "The brain sends a signal to the rest of the body to go into survival mode. The reaction constricts the blood flow in all of the limbs, arms and legs, and all that blood goes to the core and into vital organs like the heart. That process enriches the blood with oxygen and nutrients and flushes out toxins. When you get out of the chamber and the blood vessels dilate again, that blood goes back to the limbs and now you have enriched blood that speeds up the recovery process."

Some of the players are already completely sold on the process and have noticed immense differences when they wake up the next morning when compared to taking ice baths. Bucs wide receiver Donteea Dye mentioned that this method is "more efficient."

"I'm a big fan of cryotherapy and the benefits it offers athletes including recovering from both daily demands and injury," Royals head athletic trainer Nick Kenney said in a statement. "With Impact Cryotherapy, the ability to train harder and recover faster in order to help the team prepare for another successful year was extremely attractive to us as an organization."