chelsea saville 5/13/22 chelsea saville 5/13/22

5 Must have Muscle Recovery Tools

Sharing 5 of my favorite tools for self muscle recovery! Great for volleyball players or any athletes dealign with muscle soreness/tightness.

That end of season grind is approaching and your players bodies are almost definitely feeling the countless late night practices and weekend long tournaments. Mix in early mornings and long travel days, and I’m sure you could benefit from a spa day right about now. When that is not an option, here are my top 5 travel friendly recovery tools to keep your body in top performance shape! (Click photo for link)

**Hot/Cold Massage ball or**
**Lacrosse Ball**

Awesome way to combine heat/ice therapy & deep tissue massage work. This ball can be used hot or cold to get ice/heat right to the area needing to be released.
**Lacrosse ball** is another great option that is small, easier to travel with and provides deep and focal pressure to work out trigger points, knots, or general tightness to places like bottom of foot, calf, glutes, and between shoulders. Use sandwiched between body and wall to provide some self deep tissue work.

**Theracane**

Another great way to provide self deep tissue work. I like this one best for the bigger muscles around the neck, shoulders, and upper back. Apply some moderate pressure and then try to stretch while maintaining that pressure for a loosening effect. Made of plastic so can work in shower as well for added benefits of moist heat on muscles.

**Stick Roller**

Small and easy to travel with, this one has retractable handles. These come in many forms, shapes, and sizes. I prefer the ones with a solid piece (vs. beads) that have a ribbed like texture. This makes it easy to get good grip and apply sufficient pressure through the roller without possibly pinching the skin. Best for large muscles in the legs including quads, hamstrings, IT band, and calves. Can do to bare skin or over pants as well.

**Yoga/stretch strap**

Great way to self stretch with added overpressure. Best for large muscle groups of legs/hips and shoulders including hamstring, IT band, quads, and inner thigh.
I use this one with loops for better and easier grip, comes with a handy how-to booklet!

**Compression Socks**

Some recent research has suggested that wearing compression socks **after** a prolonged athletic event with minimal rest breaks and short recovery periods can decrease post activity muscle soreness. May be a good option for when you have to stand during dreaded reffing at the very end of a long tournament and that leg fatigue or soreness starts to kick in :)

Last but not least, don’t forget the importance of a health and balanced diet and plenty of sleep for optimal muscle recovery!

-Chelsea Saville PT, DPT

*As an amazon affiliate, I may earn from purchases

chelsea saville 4/9/22 chelsea saville 4/9/22

Recovery Hack: K Tape & Topical Pain Relief

Learn the simple secret to combining your two favorite recovery tools for decreased pain and improved performance. I share some of my go to brands and tips/tricks for application.

Love the feel and support fo K tape while playing but miss the ability to apply a topical analgesic like IcyHot or Biofreeze? Not to worry, did you know you can actually apply your topical pain relief of choice right over your applied K tape in 2 (…well maybe 3) simple steps.

1) Apply tape in preferred location

2) Apply liberal amounts of topical ointment, cream, gel, or spray right over tape.

3) Get back to playing and having fun ASAP!

Because K tape is a light fabric type material, the product should absorb through the tape and you should feel the effects on your skin quickly. It is best to either shower or remove the saturated tape later in the day as you would typically wash the topical product off your skin. Some tape brands have released their own versions made specifically to interact with their tapes so I will leave examples of those below. Great way to combine the use of recovery tools!