recovery after sport

Post Event Recovery after sport

This is known as Post Event Recovery

Whether 'weekend warrior' or professional, without a support team and some advice relating to aspects of support, an athlete cannot reach their full potential in their chosen field of competition

Post Event Recovery after sport is very important to the sportsperson (man/woman) after competition because it provides an opportunity to assist the muscles to recover after dynamic movement

Recovery work can help in getting rid of the by products that are produced in the course of dynamic activity so that fresh blood can enter the muscle tissues and deliver oxygen and proteins to them

What is done in the after sport phase can set the scene for a faster or slower recovery; the greatest need of the athletes muscles is to get rid of the by-products that have accumulated in the muscle tissues

As soon as the athlete stops using the muscles , the recovery processes start taking place, the body can be assisted in recovering quicker but it is actually doing the work all by itself

It would be of benefit if every athlete could access the benefits of recovery work to achieve the best they want to be at their sport, but through financial, time, availability and distance considerations it is not usually available

While helping the muscles, it is important to ensure that any external assistance give does not interfere or break into the processes while they are taking place

If the assistance is too hard then not only is recovery slowed down, injury can also be inflicted on the muscles and avoidance of this is important in a situation where there is a series of competitions, tournaments, or in a sporting season where it can be a case of he who recovers quicker has the edge

In recovery the athlete can get an 'edge' over the competition

Improved recovery can result in imroved performances because soreness and stiffness through a season can be minimized; this results in turning up to the start line fresher than the competition

The downsides to post event recovery systems

They need someone with the skills to do them!

Lack of skills and recovery

When the muscles have been involved in dynamic activity, they are already suffering from overuse and do not need any more trauma happening to them; too much pressure on the fibers can damage them, and the they will then have to wait longer for healing as well as their normal recovery time.

Having deep work at this stage it is is impossible to feel what is happening to the muscles; they are anaesthetized and do not feel any pain.

What happens on the recovery table can impact on recovery, training and performance by using 'enthusiasm' rather than knowledge

Many events rely on volunteers to help out with recovery, and while they are enthusiastic about assisting the athletes, many do not have the appropriate experience in dealing with them

Not having the experience means that they could work too deeply into the muscles and cause some muscular damage that may take some getting over and some treatment for injury that never existed previously

If someone is considering manual therapies for recovery, they should be aware of what is happening and how it can affect them in both the long and short term; using the example from Sandra Brown to stress how important the correct approach to muscles is

“The second tear (at least I have matching legs with old tears on both sides) was caused, to my great annoyance at the time, by an overenthusiastic physio who was supposed to be helping me to warm up gently before a 24 hour race and got carried away. I am now more wary of having physio at any time, and make sure that I stay in control, by saying at the outset what I want and don’t want to be done to me. Having never had a persistent injury (my varied training pattern means that any niggles have the chance to heal quickly, rather than get hammered and go critical,) I have never had regular physio or a steady relationship of trust with any physiotherapist who knew me and my needs. The closest I have come to this was receiving massage from Michael Gillan during the Nanango (Queensland) 1000-mile race in 1996. I had no hesitation in having a massage from Michael again at the end of the Melbourne 100 miles walk in 1999. Michael’s approach is very gentle at all times, and always works with the athlete and puts the athlete in control, thus minimizing the risk of harm and maximizing the benefit.’

(Source:http://www.surreywalkingclub.org.uk/Training?Advice/Articles/training_for_ultras_by_sandra_br.htm#Training/forUltras_SB)

Some events do not have any coverage at all

I recently attended an international long distance event where there were hundreds of runners-

Other than the recovery people such as myself who were taken by a team from their country, the organizers did not have one therapist to help the rest when they got into trouble-they could not find any

I am sure that there are other events both big and small where there are simply not enough recovery people on hand to give assistance to those who need it

• in 2005 there were 382,000 marathon finishers in the USA
• in 2007 there were 407,000 marathon finishers

These are the ones within the cutoff point

These are just the finishers-the number of starters would be much higher

source: www.marathonguide.com

Broken down into smaller event figures

• 2007 New York 38,557
• 2006 New York 37,557
• 2005 New York 36,856

at this marathon there were 6300 in under 3 hours and 14633 in the cutoff point of 7 hours

• 2004 New York 36,562
• 1996 Boston 35,868

Source www.aims-association.org

This is just marathon and if at each of these runs, assuming only the first 5,000 was to make the recovery area it still leaves many thousands of finishers not looked after

The state of the 7 hour cutoff and over people can only be guessed at-being out there for so long can mean a dramatic decrease in fitness level and increase in length of time of recovery

Many athletes are missing out on even basic recovery care

When there is recovery cover, only a relatively few athletes are able to access it, this means that the majority go home and lick their wounds in solitude

Their methods of recovery would vary from being 'passive' and waiting for the body to recover naturally with all its inconveniences

The best they can get after competition is to lie down with the legs elevated

This method is too ‘passive’ and obviously not too efficient

Recovery can be a long time coming!

They may not have a willing partner to give them the tender loving care needed to get over the event they have just been in, and if they are in a series of events, the soreness, and stiffness just follows through with them

It compounds so that they never recover enough to make a difference in how they perform

They are not reaching their full potential

Recovery is a key area that needs some attention because the difference between success in competition can be marginal-in some sports the difference between coming first and second or breaking a world record and not is measured in fractions of seconds

If in a multi-day competition such as the Olympics doing a series of heats an efficient recovery system can make the difference between gold-silver-bronze or coming fourth and nothing

That residual soreness and stiffness from the last heat can cost that fraction of a second needed for that medal

Below is a table from the 1995 Colac 6 day footrace-being a multi day event (the competitors run/walk on 6 consecutive days) it clearly shows how soreness and stiffness affects fitness for the next day of competing

Because of the soreness/stiffness issues during before and after the day of trackwork there is a great reliance on manual therapies to get them restarted after a rest periods

These results also show the dramatic increases in distance when I changed the approach to recovery from working on the muscles to working with them

The bottom group also shows the usual pattern of results consistent with that of other years before the World Run Recovery System was developed and that after when conventional recovery systems were in use

Conventional Recovery Systems

Conventional forms of muscle recovery work on the muscles so are inflexible and cumbersome to use-they need lots of equipment such as

• lotions

• potions

• creams,

• table to work on

• towels

If like Jesper Olsen who was self supporting most of the way around the world and pushed all his stuff in a baby jogger he would not have any room for food and water to be carried.
www.worldrun.org

The World Run Approach to Recovery-minimal working with the muscles

I am the muscle recovery specialist for the World Run and I have taken a different approach to recovery than most other people involved in this area.

I have to work as minimally as possible

This is because I do not have the facilities or time to keep my athletes (endurance) off the track or road to do conventional recovery systems.

My people are running and walking a long way, and while they are out making distance they are happy, but they do get soreness, stiffness and feet problems as well.

(the chair near the bottles was my working area at Montreal 24 hour Championships-the airline had mislaid all my clothes, tent etc. but a chair was all the equipment I needed to keep 20 people going)

The World Run Recovery System does not need equipment or even much training to use because it works with the muscles and gets them to contribute to their own recovery.

The result of minimized stiffness and soreness is being faster off the starting block or being able to play longer without fatigue; this will give any team or athlete 'the edge' over the competition

It is fully portable and flexible enough to do anywhere at anytime by anyone.

There are benefits to all athletes

• They can easily learn and use the same system I use

• They do not need to do an expensive dedicated course in recovery system

• They do not need to invest in or carry expensive equipment

• They can use it trackside or field side whenever they need it

If they do not have the services of a support team they just

Do It Themselves!

The world run run team preparing for a training run in Mors (Denmark)

The advantages of using the World Run Recovery System

It is Do It Yourself recovery

• No disrobing

• Works with the muscles not on them

• No oil used

• Non invasive

• User friendly

• Easy to learn

A tested Trusted Alternative

What does ultra marathon athletics have to do with Post Event Recovery?

The events the athletes compete in last for many hours, days, weeks or years-this means everytime they stop for some recovery work, it becomes an immediate post event-a post event and possibly a pre-event session session

The muscles are in a state of tension, tightness, soreness, stiffness, fatigue, and in a constant recovery process which never finishes because the athletes go back out to do it all again.

Adding stress to the muscles at this stage by using the fingers working into them is not a good thing because it interfers with the body's own quite capable recovery abiilities.

Uncontrolled finger force into the muscle tissues at this time can undo and prolong the recovery that has started and continues to take place because it has to start over again.

After an event, the muscles need assistance to recover themselves but there is no way that anyone or anything can do it for them other than increase the output of rubbish and debris from their dynamic activity and increase the input of fresh blood to the tissues

Active recovery for aching legs

Active Recovery means taking a pro-active role in helping the muscles recover by increasing the flow of depleted flow out of them and increasing the flow of fresh blood into them

The secret to a faster recovery is to reduce input/output required through-

• Simplicity

• Predictability

• Consistency

This is applied using

The latest in non-technical, non-invasive 'cutting edge' solutions to fatigued fatigued legs relief-

the World Run Recovery System

Some References

Michael’s methods of massage and blister care helped me to stay mobile throughout the race and to recover quickly afterwards. His techniques are safe and gentle.
Unlike some treatments, which put the runners and walkers at risk of muscle tears or infection, Michael’s techniques are gentle, safe, reassuring, and highly effective. They enhance comfort and flexibility, build confidence, and promote success.

This booklet will help others to learn and practice Michael’s methods. It is recommended reading for everyone who walks and runs and who wants to go further, go faster, or just to enjoy life more!!'

SANDRA BROWN 1996 Ladies 1000 Mile World Record Holder 1999 Ladies 100 mile Race walking World Record Holder

“I know that your massage kept a number of competitors in the event. The cold weather of Saturday afternoon and night certainly got to many of the walkers and your prompt action had them back in the race after a short stop.
In years past, that would have ended up as a non-finish. A number of walkers were able to keep going for the full 24 hours on the basis of your expert help.”

Tim Ericson Secretary Australian Centurions Club

'I have known Michael Gillan for many years and have always got quick relief for my aches and pains from the stretching he performs'.
CLIFF YOUNG-75-80 24 Hour World Record Holder (150.07 kilometers)

A word from Jesper Olsen World Runner about Light Manual Muscle Relaxation
“If I hadn't had the qualified help from the excellent masseur Michael Gillan, taking several thousands of km out of my legs, I could spare myself the effort!”

“My crew for the current stages, Michael Gillan, has proven to have other talents than the quite taxing job of taking care of all the requirements of a really tired ultra runner!
He has since years back been working on a new approach to stretching and muscle-rebuilding for ultra runners. I have the last two days tried his careful stretch and massage, and a bit to my surprise the muscles are beginning to feel like before the start back in Greenwich, London!!

Usually I doesn’t take massage as the legs of an ultra runner will often be quite sore during the long time events (and especially in an multi-year event like this...), and getting a massage can at times cause more injury and cramping up than good. For example my last massage was some 12 000km ago when I ran the 12-hour competition in Finland. And so far that has been the only one.

But Gillan came with best recommendations from my main contact in Australia, Phil Essam, who besides being vice president in the Australian Ultra runners Association has heaps of good knowledge to share. And this new kind of mild massage for ultra runners is definitely one of the good tips! There should be a fair chance that I actually get fresh enough to do some decent running at the 6 Day Race that I have coming up in Colac from the 21.November. I quite look forward to that, even though I can’t expect to make a top class result :-)”

He won! 756.2 kilometers (Jesper holds the record for the longest run in history over 26000 kilometers and the first person to run around the world Taken from www.worldrun.org


Affordability

To do a full recovery course will cost hundreds of dollars in course fees, there is also the time needed to study physiology, anatomy, and the hand skills needed to do it.

It would be even cheaper and more effective to pay me for the knowledge I have because I am the one who developed and tested the World Run Recovery System over many years at the Sports Institute of Hard Knocks.

Unfortunately this is impossible because I will not be here-

In 2008 the World Run Project starts and I am on it

I am the Muscle Recovery Specialist and expected to be on the road with the 2 runners for a fair part of the distance.

www.worldrun.org

Win Win!

$20.00 ebook in PDF format

WORKING WITH THE MUSCLES-NOT ON THEM

The World Run Recovery System-Works WITH the muscles-is done as soon as the event finishes-track or field side-indoors, outdoors by self or assisted-all it basically does is relax the muscles and restarts the Calf Muscle Pump to get rid of the by products

To do this, the athlete carries just a strap and completes the system in 3 or 4 minutes while the body starts its repair work without interference.

As working ON the muscles is not done, there is no need for disrobing, the athlete can cover up to keep the wamth in letting the muscles cool down at their own rate.

Because this is all it does, the body takes care of the rest

The Athlete needs help in relieving those fatigued legs and the Sports Institute of Hard Knocks World Run Recovery Specialist is going on the road-but having problems with the financial issues of being away so long.

In Australia it is very difficult to get sponsors unless you already have a big name as a star-for support crew who do cannot supply glamor it is impossible.

Buying a manual form me will defray my costs of being involved in the world run project, and at the same time as I am looking after the world runners the athlete can share the experience of a recovery similar to that of the world runners at a very affordable price.

Not only that, the athlete can follow my route through the world run site and if you are anywhere near me come and say hello and I will even give you a first hand workshop on recovery!


Win Win!



With your support I get to on the World Run and the athlete gets the very same recovery system I will be using on World Run 2!
www.worldrun.org

Win Win!

Some basic information on recovery

The body recovers itself!

The best that an outside influence can offer it is to facilitate that recovery in a way that will not interfere with its own processes of healing

Having used conventional manual therapies at the 1993 and 1994 Colac events I realized that using the fingers and working into and on stressed muscles was breaking into the recovery processes and delaying recovery

Some surveys have shown that post event massage is more effective 2 hours after the event than before, but a problem with these is that much can depend on the type of massage being used, and the skills of whoever is doing the work

Leaving the science part out of the recovery equation, for the moment-my manual covers this in greater detail from the physiology aspect and I cover Immediate Post Event Recovery on that web page

While much has been written about Post Event Recovery, and ways to achieve it there is not enough information that filters down to the athlete who is not involved in high level sports and gets looked after by a sports institute or organization.

If it does it is all scientifically based and can't be understood or easily followed by the average athlete who doesn't have access to the sports physician, physiotherapists, trainers, psychologists, masseurs needed to perform at elite level of sport.

also see the following sites for further research into this

SOURCES:

PubMed Manual massage and recovery of muscle function following exercise: a literature review.

PMID: 9007768 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

The mechanisms of massage and effects on performance, muscle recovery and injury prevention.

PMID: 15730338 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

http://www.webmd.com/content/Article/92/101950.htm

Hinds, T. Medicine & Science in Sports and Exercise, August 2004; vol 36: pp 1308-1313.

http://www.hikercentral.net

http://www.marathon-run.info

http://www.runningpink.com.au/#

http://www.promote-health.org

http://www.feet-and-legs.com

http://www.womens-running.org

The systems used for testing were all based on conventional manual therapies of working on the muscles not with them as is used with the World Run Recovery System

http://www.scribd.com/full/28337664?access_key=key-2guu30vc5xs3kd9gtnfj

Self Service Post Event Recovery









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