Extreme Treatments like Blood Flow Restriction Used by Elite Athletes

Extreme Treatments Elite Athletes Use to Enhance Performance

Elite and professional athletes are always seeking ways to improve their performance and give them an edge over competitors. This drive has led many athletes to try unusual, intense, and sometimes extreme training techniques and therapies. These cutting-edge and alternative treatments promise to provide benefits like accelerated recovery, reduced inflammation, enhanced endurance, and greater mental toughness.

Many of these extreme therapies used by top athletes fly under the mainstream radar. But hardcore competitors swear by the effectiveness of these fringe and unorthodox treatments. Here is an inside look at some of the extreme therapies and training methods elite athletes subject themselves to in the quest for peak performance.

Blood Flow Restriction Training

Blood flow restriction (BFR) training is an emerging fitness technique that has been embraced by elite athletes. BFR training involves deliberately restricting blood flow to the muscles during exercise. This is done by wearing a specialized compression cuff or tourniquet band around the arms or legs while strength training.

By limiting blood flow, BFR training causes the muscles to quickly become fatigued and deprived of oxygen. However, this lactic acid buildup and hypoxic state triggers a robust response in the body. BFR training drives muscle growth, strength gains, and endurance with the use of lighter weights and higher reps. Athletes do not need to lift as heavy to get results.

The temporary oxygen deprivation and cellular stress of BFR training is thought to stimulate beneficial hormonal responses and muscle fiber activation. The compacted workout schedule of BFR also saves time compared to traditional strength training. Limiting blood flow allows athletes to reap gains with just 20-30 minutes of BFR two or three times a week.

BFR training originated in Japan in the 1960s but has recently grown in popularity worldwide. Proponents include powerlifters, CrossFit athletes, MMA fighters, swimmers, runners, and professional sports teams. However, experts warn BFR training can be dangerous if done incorrectly.

Cryotherapy

Cryotherapy exposes the body to subzero temperatures in an effort to reduce inflammation and speed recovery. Sessions typically last 2-4 minutes. There are several methods of cryotherapy used by athletes:

• Whole body cryotherapy (WBC) - The athlete stands in an enclosed cryochamber filled with liquid nitrogen-cooled air and chilled to around -200F.
• Localized cryotherapy - Specific areas of the body are exposed to extreme cold using cryotherapy machines. This targets problem spots instead of the entire body.
• Ice baths - Athletes sit in baths filled with ice water, generally 55-60F, up to the neck for 10-15 minutes.

The cold temperatures cause the blood vessels to constrict and send blood to the body's core to protect vital organs. This reduces swelling and inflammation in the muscles and joints. The chilled blood is then pumped back through the body, removing waste products like lactic acid.

Cryotherapy essentially puts tissues on ice after intense training and competition. It aims to numb pain, accelerate injury healing, reduce soreness, improve recovery, and rejuvenate both mind and body. However, the benefits are still debated. Critics argue any effects are likely the result of the placebo effect in athletes expecting relief.

Cupping Therapy

Cupping therapy places heated or suction cups on the skin to draw blood to the surface of the skin. This is thought to promote healing by improving blood flow and reducing muscle tension. Variations of cupping therapy include:

• Dry Cupping - Cups are placed on the skin and suctioned using a hand pump to pull the skin gently into the cup.
• Wet Cupping - The skin is lanced before suctioning to draw out small quantities of blood.
• Moving Cupping - Oil is applied so therapists can glide the cups over the skin to massage tissues.

Cupping often leaves behind large, visible bruises on the skin. But proponents believe the technique offers many benefits like pain relief, immunity boosting, inflammation reduction, and improvement in range of motion. Cupping is an ancient therapy that has grown popular with athletes like Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps and gymnast Alex Naddour.

Float Therapy

Float therapy, also known as sensory deprivation, has athletes floating in shallow pools of skin-temperature water saturated with Epsom salt. The extra buoyant water allows the athlete to float effortlessly without sensory stimuli. The float cabins are soundproof and lightless, blocking out all noise, light, and gravity.

An hour of sensory deprivation in the floating pool aims to provide intense relaxation, accelerated recovery, and decreased muscle soreness. The weightless environment is also said to relieve the strain of fierce training on joints and the skeletal system. Float therapy proponents claim it can reduce stress, improve sleep quality, boost mood, sharpen focus, and encourage creativity.

Floating therapy has been embraced by athletes across sports, including NBA stars Lebron James and Steph Curry. With its meditation-like effects, float therapy provides a mental break from high-pressure competition. But some athletes find the isolated darkness inside the float cabins unnerving.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) has athletes breathing pure oxygen inside a specialized chamber or small enclosed space. The air pressure inside the chamber is increased two to three times higher than normal air pressure. Breathing this highly-pressurized oxygen saturates the blood and body tissues.

HBOT works by supercharging the body's natural healing process. The infusion of high-dose oxygen acts as a fuel for recovering cells and stimulates new tissue growth. The pressurized environment also sends oxygen deep into damaged tissues. HBOT is used to treat stubborn sports injuries like bone fractures, tendon tears, and damaged muscles/ligaments.

Many professional sports franchises have invested in in-house hyperbaric chambers for their players. The high-dose oxygen is thought to accelerate injury healing, reduce inflammation, improve recovery, protect against brain trauma, and elevate pain tolerance. However, HBOT benefits are considered unproven with more research needed.

Electrical Muscle Stimulation

Electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) uses specialized machines to apply electrical currents through electrodes placed on the skin. This stimulates the muscles, causing them to repeatedly contract and relax. Athletes use portable EMS machines or attend EMS body-shaping studios.

Athletes add EMS to their training regimens with the aim of enhancing strength, power, speed, and agility. The stimulation of the motor neurons with electrical impulses also helps tired and fatigued muscles recover faster. EMS further allows inactive muscles to be exercised while injured muscles heal.

The benefits of stimulating muscle contractions and growth with EMS are debated. But devices like the PowerDot used by Serena Williams and BioRhythm used by the US Ski Team have gained popularity for their convenience and time-saving aspects.

Ultrasound Therapy

Therapeutic ultrasound uses sound waves to generate deep heat in the tissues and joints. Ultrasound gel is applied to the skin, and a transducer device is moved over the treatment area, emitting sound waves below the skin surface. This boosts blood flow to the area to reduce pain and accelerate healing.

The sound waves physically vibrate the tissues while the heat relieves pain and loosens tight muscles and joint restrictions. Ultrasound therapy is frequently used by athletes to treat sprains, strains, contusions, and inflammatory conditions. The deep heating effects also prepare the muscles for peak performance.

Ultrasound is praised for its ability to reach deeper tissues compared to traditional heating modalities like hot packs. However, results seem to depend largely on the skill of the ultrasound technician targeting the proper treatment areas.

Oxygen-Ozone Therapy

Oxygen-ozone therapy (O3) introduces ozone, a highly reactive form of oxygen, into the body via injection, IV, or other methods. The mixture of oxygen and ozone used is called ozonated oxygen. This additional oxygen is said to increase oxygen saturation in tissues to stimulate healing.

O3 therapy is thought to reduce inflammation, alleviate pain, improve circulation and immunity, and accelerate injury recovery. Damaged muscles and tissues starved of oxygen are able to absorb the extra supply. Ozone also acts as a disinfectant to destroy bacteria in wounds.

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Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new treatment regimen.