Central Coast Mariners will play their fifth game in just 14 days when the Club hosts Adelaide United in Hyundai A-League action on the banks of the Brisbane Water on Sunday afternoon.
The Club’s busy schedule over the past fortnight has meant that the team’s senior first team physiotherapist, Andrew Nealon, has been working overtime to ensure that head coach Phil Moss has had as many players as possible fit and available for match selection.
But the experienced Nealon – formerly a physiotherapist at Barclays Premier League heavyweights Liverpool FC – has also been making use of some of the latest technology in the world of athlete tissue recovery in his bid to push players back to their physical peak between fixtures.
Nealon has been treating a range of players with portable devices developed by Australian-owned company Bodyflow International which have been proven to speed up rehabilitation and recovery times.
The devices are routinely used by Lymphoedema practitioners seeking to reduce swelling and alleviate pain for their patients, but are now gaining the favour of some global sporting heavyweights as they aim to keep their prized assets performing.
“Teams from the English Premier League, NBA and NFL are using Bodyflow Therapy devices,” Nealon explained. “Closer to home there are Clubs in the NRL and AFL utilising the technology, though at the moment we are the only Hyundai A-League Club with the devices.”
“Over the past few months the devices have become a key part of our post-match recovery protocol for players playing a high number of minutes, but it’s over the past two weeks that we’ve really seen the benefits.”
“With the short turnarounds between the games that we’ve had, we’ve seen players with swelling from knocks or injury, and especially post match muscle soreness, recover much more quickly,” he said.
Like all Hyundai A-League clubs, Central Coast Mariners have a busy festive period packed with games.
Nealon believes that the devices will be useful during this time, as well as should the Club – as is hoped – conquer its 2015 AFC Champions League Qualifying opponent to earn a spot in the Group Stage of Asia’s most prestigious club competition for a fourth consecutive year.
“The AFC Champions League is the perfect example of how Bodyflow’s portable devices can be used,” Nealon said. “They can be utilised during travel, meaning players on long-haul flights will arrive at their next match destination fresher than they otherwise may have.”
“This should assist the performance of our players against some of Asia’s best, particular when we’re playing away from home just two or three days after playing in the Hyundai A-League,” he concluded.
Central Coast Mariners attacker Mitchell Duke has played 349 of a possible 360 match minutes over the last fortnight, producing robust, hard-working display against Perth Glory, Adelaide United [Westfield FFA Cup], Melbourne City, and Western Sydney Wanderers.
The dynamic attacker is likely to feature again on Sunday against Adelaide United, and says he’s felt a difference in his body after using Bodyflow’s portable machines.
“I definitely think it helps recovery,” Duke said. “I have attached it to my muscles everywhere from my waist down and I have felt a lot less sore the day after each match.”
“It’s also quite a relaxing process even while the machine is on – it sooths the muscles and I wake up a lot fresher.”
“I have never played this amount of minutes so quickly in my career, so I feel it has helped me a lot,” Duke concluded.
ABOUT BODYFLOW INTERNATIONAL:
Bodyflow International is an Australian-owned company that has attained the exclusive international rights to the Bodyflow technology. After clinical trials were conducted, Bodyflow International officially launched its products into the Australian market in 2008. Bodyflow continues to gain market acceptance and is now available in many countries around the world as more clinics and practitioners introduce Bodyflow Therapy to their patients.
Bodyflow Therapy is currently used by Lymphoedema practitioners, physiotherapists, podiatrists and professional sporting organisations around the world to aid in patient & athlete tissue recovery.
Bodyflow Electrotherapy devices have a single set frequency that cannot be altered. The products are manufactured in Germany and distributed from Germany.
Bodyflow devices are included in the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG) with the TGA, CE Marked and FDA cleared.
For more information: www.bodyflowinternational.com
