The final instalment of the KYMIRA Sport KYnergy Eco System brings us to an overlooked piece of the performance puzzle, rehabilitate. 

How we rehabilitate post injury is fundamental to how we perform in future. Injury is par for the course in the life of an athlete, but how you progress beyond the point of injury can have a knock-on effect for the rest of your active life.

KYMIRA is a brand synonymous will all aspects of the performance ecosystem – our world-leading technology has been proven to benefit aspects of physical output across the board. Whilst our reputation for performance enhancement is well understood, our role in rehabilitation and injury management is where our focus lies in this article.

With persistent injuries blighting much of the potential (and earning power) of top athletes around the world, having an effective rehab team in your corner is an element of physical preparation you just can’t ignore if you want to reach the very top level.

Our proven effectiveness in pain relief, circulatory improvement and thermoregulation is the reason so many physiotherapists and sports injury practitioners seek to partner with KYMIRA as part of our Clinical Partners Network.

In dictionary terms, the word rehabilitate means to ‘return someone to a normal state after illness, injury or imprisonment’ etc. In a sporting context, it means so much more.

We need to elaborate in a sporting context exactly what true rehabilitation is. To merely be free of illness or pain after injury isn’t enough – we need to restore an athlete to peak condition, one that matches or exceeds the athlete’s prior physical state. That’s a far more involved process, as we’ll discover as we venture through the article.

As you’d expect, we at KYMIRA take a more in-depth view as to what it means to rehabilitate an athlete. We’ve broken the process down into the following…

Injury – what happened?

Surgery – is there a medical need for surgical intervention?

Rehabilitation – what steps are the team going through to return an athlete to peak condition?

We’ll look at each of these aspects and explain how KYMIRA can help to enhance the depth and quality of athletic rehabilitation.

One of the most studied aspects of sport is injury frequencies. With players and athletes capable of such high earning power, added to the fact that in team sports they are tradable assets, it makes sense to protect those assets by keeping them fit and well, capable of playing.

Across a broad range of sports, injury frequency varies. The point is though, all athletes will suffer from some form of injury during their career.

A small selection of research has shown injury rates in different sports. We’ve selected a contact sport (Rugby), a non-contact, low impact sport (Cycling) and a high impact sport (running) to show regardless of the contact or impact forces, there are still injuries to contend with. Here’s an insight into the percentage of competitors who face injury each year…

• Rugby Union 55% [1]
• Cycling 16% [2]
• Running 19.4-79.3% (depending on the study) [3]

With a multitude of factors influencing injury risk, we have to consider how best to deal with the inevitable time lost through injuries.

The nature of injuries varies enormously depending on the sport. In sports such as gymnastics, hands, wrists, feet and ankles were the most commonly injured areas [4], whereas in sports like football, thigh strains are the most common injury [5].

With such a huge range of injury sites and mechanisms, the treatment has to be decided on a case-by-case basis by a suitably qualified medical professional. Whether that’s a rehabilitation programme, a surgical intervention, manual therapy, painkillers or anti-inflammatory medications, it doesn’t especially matter – KYMIRA clothing is a proven help to prolong and enhance the benefits of each, plus provide a deeper, faster recovery.

The process of true rehabilitation is a multi-faceted one. Starting with the medical team, it’s a question of ensuring the diagnosis is accurate and the treatment plan is effective. 

The rehabilitation team should then work together, building back the flexibility and mobility to begin with, followed by strength. Rehabilitation is completed with the re-building work capacity without injury to the athlete.

KYMIRA’s infrared technology can assist with every single stage of this journey, all the while providing drug-free pain relief thanks to the mild analgesic effect brought about by the infrared fabric.

Infrared fabrics have been shown across multiple studies to help ease pain in subjects suffering from a variety of conditions.

We know that infrared fabrics stimulate Nitric Oxide production when worn either close to or in contact with the skin. In turn, Nitric Oxide activates a chemical called Cyclic Guanosine Monophosphate (cGMP). cGMP is the chemical activated by opiate painkillers, meaning wearing infrared fabrics such as those produced by KYMIRA will have a mild pain relieving effect for the wearer. [6]

The anti-inflammatory effects of infrared clothing also have positive effect on pain. Research shows that the infrared clothing reduces feeling of pain and delayed onset muscle soreness post exercise [7]. Infrared is also particularly effective at decreasing inflammatory mediators and free radicals, which also helps to ease pain in athletes.

Another supporting factor for rehabilitation is the vasodilating effect of infrared [8]. In joints or body parts with restricted movement, increasing blood flow helps to improve mobility and flexibility, two of the fundamental aspects of rehabilitation.

The fact that infrared technology is so new means that we’re only just scratching the surface of what infrared could be capable of supporting in a medical and rehabilitation environment [9]. What we know for sure is that post-surgical wound healing is enhanced, alongside multiple other injury co-morbidities, which will help to support the work of the medical professionals even when they have finished treatment sessions.

From a practical standpoint, using KYMIRA clothing to assist recovery and rehabilitation in athletes is an obvious solution for a number of reasons…

• Cost effective – far cheaper than a medical department!
• Passive – can be worn 24/7 and takes no effort
• Doesn’t violate any anti-doping legislation
• Causes no side effects
• Infrared stimulates recovery and performance as well as ease pain
• Portable – don’t need to take any equipment with you
• Multi-use – you can wear it thousands of times and it remains effective
• Variable – comes in all garments that cover different areas of the body

A fast and effective rehabilitation plan is the ultimate aim for sports medics across all areas. Effective treatment is one thing, but if that can be supported by a practical and medically proven clothing solution then the effects are enhanced.

KYMIRA products are medically certified, don’t violate any anti-doping rules and can be transported globally. They compound the benefits of manual therapy and improve surgical wound healing time.

They’re the secret advantage you’ve just discovered.

Click here to go to the KYMIRA Sport website.