Athletes better under pressure

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 20/06/2016 (3391 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

If your athletic clothes aren’t working for you 24-7, perhaps you should be going to see Isaac Ansah.

The director of athletic recovery solutions at Accucare Canada stocks the latest in compression pants, shirts, socks and arm sleeves that help athletes prepare for strenuous training, recover from competition and treat injuries.

Remember when you sprained your ankle as a kid and your coach or your mom plopped your foot on a pillow and put ice on it?

“Now instead of sitting there with your leg elevated, the garments are doing (the work) all the time. They’re pushing the fluid back up into your system and getting rid of deoxygenated blood,” he said.

Accucare’s garments have between 20 and 30 millimetres of mercury, which is a medical pressure rating that calculates the movement of blood flow to the heart. The higher the rating, the harder the clothing is working.

That’s not all. Ansah also has recovery pump systems at his Tache Avenue location that inflate sleeves or “skins” covering your legs, hips or arms with air and take a more active role in keeping your blood flowing and leaving your limbs feeling looser and lighter instead of heavy and tired.

After strenuous exercise, the body produces metabolic waste products that cause muscle soreness. By increasing the movement of blood, however, fresh oxygen is brought to the muscles, minimizing the soreness and stiffness.

“It’s passive. It feels somewhat like a massage for your legs, arms or hips,” Ansah said.

Athletes such as Tampa Bay Lightning forward Steven Stamkos and the Miami Heat’s Chris Bosch have recently suffered from blood clots, which are also treated with this technology.

Ansah said it’s common for blood clots to form while travelling because people have less blood flow when crammed into a seat for hours at a time.

St. Louis Blues forward and Winnipeg native Ryan Reaves wears the compression pants before he boards a plane to keep his legs from swelling.

“Three-quarters of our team use the skins, especially on the plane,” he said.

Reaves also uses the pump system before games on his legs if they’re feeling a little heavy.

“I use it to get the lactic acid out to keep my legs feeling fresh,” he said.

Other athletes using Accucare’s clothing and equipment include Teague Sherman from the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, beach volleyball player Taylor Pischke and the University of Manitoba Bisons basketball team.

Ansah played two years for the Bisons and had a brief career overseas.

He said people can often get the compression clothing covered by insurance by getting a prescription for it.

“We think it’s better to be proactive and focus on your recovery versus waiting until your veins’ infrastructure becomes compromised,” he said.

city.desk@freepress.mb.ca