The Problem
The implementation of effective recovery strategies is imperative in high-performance sport. In team sports (e.g., Gaelic games, rugby, soccer), fixture congestion and rigorous training schedules limit recovery time between matches.
Insufficient recovery after training and competitive matches can:
- Impair athletes’ performance,
- Negatively impact overall team performance, and
- Increase players’ susceptibility to injury.
Cryotherapy, cold-water therapy, and intermittent pneumatic compression are commonly used recovery modalities in high-performance sport*. However, their impracticality, inaccessibility and high cost pose multiple barriers to their effective implementation within a week-to-week micro-cycle.
* Field et al (2021)
