Tigers go with the flow
Mark Stevens | April 16, 2008 | Herald-Sun
AFL clubs are stepping up the use of electro-stimulation, with some even hooking players up to machines at half-time. The product, Bodyflow, helps players recover from muscle soreness faster by stimulating the lymphatic system.
Richmond trialed the improved technology before and after its shock 64-point win against Fremantle at Subiaco on Sunday.
All 23 Tiger players in the squad used machines, three times the size of an average mobile phone, on the flight to and from Perth.
Electrodes are applied to muscles for 20-minutes, using a frequency devised by the French inventor.
The product has received publicity in its larger form, but new portability has led to increased interest from clubs.
Bodyflow chief executive Joe Di Santo said tests showed the product kept players fresher on flights and quickened recovery on the return trip.
Although the Richmond trial was public, Di Santo said he could not reveal other clubs using the product.
But he did confirm the portable machines were being used during games by some clubs keen for players to run out games better.
"I can't get into too much detail, but a lot of clubs have had success at half-time. I think you're going to see that more and more," he said.
"The portability is a major initiative."
St Kilda legend Robert Harvey has used Bodyflow and Richmond forward Nathan Brown also used it in his recovery from a broken leg.
"Older guys have an even more pronounced reason for using it because you just recover slower as you get older," Di Santo said.
"We've got some of the interstate clubs using it and we've got some of the Melbourne clubs."
Richmond elite performance manager Matt Hornsby last night said the club had trialed Bodyflow with positive feedback and decided to accept an offer to test it again for the Perth trip.
"When we trialed it previously, the feedback was positive so we tried it out on the plane," Hornsby said.
"The players' response has again been positive."
The Tigers players had three 20-minute sessions on the way to Perth and three more on the return leg.
"We did as much as we could to make the trip a bit less demanding," Hornsby said.
"We're not sure whether we'll go down the track again.
"It's something we need to discuss."
Each machine coast almost almost $4000, yet Bodyflow can envisage every AFL player having one.
"You turn the machine on, you feel a bit of a tingle and that it is a sign you are stimulating your veins," Di Santo.
"What this machine does is de-congest all the muscles and, essentially, get rid of all the lactic acid and other congestion.
"In the testing, the bottom line was people who used it post-exercise recovered a lot faster than those who didn't."
Di Santo said the machine could help players recover 24-48 hours faster.
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl/story/0,26576,23547004-19742,00.html
