About Air Relax Compression Recovery Systems
THE SCIENCE
WHAT IS PNEUMATIC COMPRESSION THERAPY?
A dynamic or pneumatic compression system, is a compressor unit linked to a specialised garment which has various chambers (or pockets) which inflate and deflate with air pumped by the compressor such that the chamber of the garment applies direct pressure to the muscle area. The compression temporarily restricts blood circulation to the area and upon release, nutrient-rich blood rushes through the muscle tissue. The compression technique improves blood circulation, promotes lymphatic fluid movement, helps remove lactic acid, reduces inflammation, soreness, stiffness and improves flexibility thus stimulating recovery and enhancing performance.
AIR RELAX PNEUMATIC COMPRESSION SYSTEM IS SUPPORTED BY SCIENCE
Air Relax designed its sport recovery system based on clinically proven methods to increase an athlete’s circulation, reduce fatigue and soreness and improve their preformance. We believe recovery should form an integral part of every club’s, athlete’s, coach’s training plan or physiotherapist’s service to sport orientated clients. Our team and network of professional triathletes, physical therapists, personal trainers, coaches and nutritional consultants combined with degrees in Molecular Medicine, Engineering and Physiology back the clinical research with their expertise to bring you the best in sports recovery and treatment technology.
BENEFITS
HOW IT WORKS
Waste products can build up in muscle tissue post exercise, attributing to soreness and fatigue. The body passively eliminates these products naturally through venous return and the lymph system. Howver, this process can take time. Our compression system improves the blood flow in the target area, effectively mimicking the body’s natural method of removing these waste products, thus reducing recovery time.
Unlike other brands, we offer both sequential and intermittent compression - with 4 selectable pressure levels, and 3 different modes of function to choose from.
WHEN TO USE
PRE TRAINING
Many athletes use their Air Relax Compression system as an effective warm-up tool before their workout. Our compression system will help to increase regional blood flow in the target area, effectively helping to get your blood pumping to that tissue, getting it ready to work hard. A short 15 minute session on a low pressure setting is a great means of warming up before your training.
POST TRAINING
To achieve the best results we suggest you use you Air Relax system within a few hours of your training session to aid your recovery. We would recommend your post-workout recovery Air Relax session should be somewhere between 15-45 minutes depending on your level of fatigue or muscle soreness. You can also set the specific mode of function or pressure level to meet your needs depending on your level of fatigue and soreness.
ATHLETES
For athletes who take their sport seriously, muscles soreness can be a reoccurring issue. Intense training can cause muscle tissue inflammation, a build-up of lactic acid and other metabolic waste products. This build up can lead to a dip in performance and an increase in fatigue. Your body will naturally work to remove these products - however, this process takes time.
This is where Air Relax can help athletes reduce their recovery time and enable them to get back to peak performance quicker, by mimicking and enhancing the body’s natural means of recovery, in a convenient, passive way. Unlike stretching or foam rolling, an Air Relax recovery session can be carried out while reading a book, watching TV or taking a nap, all while the system works on all the muscles in your entire limb, or just a specific area you select. In addition you can also set the specific mode of function you require - or the pressure level you want that day, making your Air Relax recovery session uniquely customized to your specific needs.
Intermittent compression technology is not new, and has been thoroughly tested and refined over a number of decades. Many studies have shown the positive effects this type of recovery can have on athlete’s performance:
Dynamic Compression Enhances Pressure-to-Pain Threshold in Elite Athlete Recovery: Exploratory Study.
“Athlete recovery-adaptation is crucial to the progress and performance of highly trained athletes. The purpose of this study was to assess peristaltic pulse dynamic compression (PPDC) in reducing short-term pressure-to-pain threshold (PPT) among Olympic Training Center athletes after morning training. Muscular tenderness and stiffness are common symptoms of fatigue and exercise-induced muscle microtrauma and edema….Difference score results showed that the experimental group’s PPT threshold improved after PPDC treatment immediately and persisted the remainder of the day after afternoon practice….We conclude that PPDC is a promising means of accelerating and enhancing recovery after the normal aggressive training that occurs in Olympic and aspiring Olympic athletes.”
Click here for the full article!
PHYSIOTHERAPY
The Air Relax system is an excellent tool for any physiotherapist or massage therapist to have on-hand in your clinic. Whilst there is no replacing the trained hand of an expert at diagnosis and treatment, the Air Relax system allows you to have a second set of hard working hands at your disposal whist working on a client. You may use the Air Relax system at the start of your treatment on a low setting to increase localised blood flow in the target area, provide a relaxing massage at one end of the body while you work on another part, or even use at the end of a particularly heavy treatment session to help reducing the resulting inflammation.
In addition, for therapists on the go the Air Relax system is light and portable making it travel friendly.