Recover Faster, Train Harder... A New Perspective on Recovery
A Message from Dr. Rick Rosa at Accessible Beltway Clinics
"Early in my career, I began to realize I could do a lot more for athletes to help performance and prevent injuries by concentrating on the recovery side of training. In my clinical practice, we were constantly looking at improving the recovery of patients, not only in an effort to speed up the process, but also to help prevent exacerbation and re-injury. My focus became developing an all-encompassing approach for athletes with close monitoring and augmentation of recovery as the second part of training, thus allowing athletes to recover faster and train harder.
With patients ranging from the many local weekend warriors to professional and Olympic level athletes, chiropractors are best situated to act not only as team doctors but as recovery specialists. By treating the workout as a traumatic event and doing everything we can to promote healing, not only for speed of recovery, but for proper recovery, we are able to prevent future injuries. Using my concept of the Six Pillars of Recovery, I have established recovery plans for athletes that encompass all aspects of healing.
The true testing grounds on my theories on recovery were during the 2007 Paris Brest Paris, a ride that has been done in France for over one hundred years covering over 760 miles, only stopping for food a few hours’ sleep. In 2007, it was cold and rainy, one person died, and 1000 people dropped out. As a cyclist and runner, I have been able to apply my knowledge to help athletes recover better and faster. The bottom line is simply this: the quicker you recover, the harder you can apply yourself in the workouts to follow, which leads to greater gains!"
– Dr. Rick Rosa
Click Here for purchase information for Dr. Rick Rosa's The Six Pillars of Sports Recovery.
Better Recovery Means Better Performance
Using Six Pillars of Recovery, Accessible Beltway Clinics chiropractor Dr. Rick Rosa has established recovery plans for athletes that encompass all aspects of healing:
- Awareness of State
- Rest
- Play
- Nutrition
- Physical
- Psychological
This comprehensive approach enables a more complete healing process that will prevent further injuries as well as speed up recovery between workouts. Athletes respond better when a coach is able to map out a specific workout. Similarly, doctors are able to map out and monitor specific plans that the athlete can follow. In addition, the athlete will become more aware of his/her recovery state and when he/she has fully recovered. The athlete can put that much more into his/her workouts which will ultimately improve the performance.
Awareness of State
Using monitoring techniques like Restwise, blood work, saliva testing that we have developed with traditional monitoring of heart rate the athlete will have the ability to measure how much they have recovered from a workout or sickness.
Rest
It is no secret our bodies heal, recover and regenerate best during sleep…but how much? When is the best time? Are naps good? What about when you travel? These questions are all addressed under this pillar of recovery.
Play
A structured training and recovery plan can be stressful. Maintaining focus indefinitely is impossible so we need to remember to add stress relievers such as family, friends, and laughter into our lives.
Nutrition
Food and its importance with performance athletes is no secret, and the amount of information available in this area continues to grow. Supplements can also aid in recovery by reducing inflammation and free radical formation.
Physical
Adding chiropractic, massage, yoga and physical therapy can make a huge difference with injury prevention and recovery. Moreover, maintaining proper biomechanics, muscle symmetry, and balance are essential.
Psychological
Methods such as positive affirmation, guided imagery, mental toughness and progressive relaxation techniques are a few ways to enhance and support the recovery process. In addition, the Rosa Rehab team also uses various testing methods to evaluate the athlete’s psychological state as it relates to recovery and performance.
Offering a new perspective on recovery, the RECOVERY Doc team utilizes cutting-edge healing technology, customized treatment programs and a state-of-the-art monitoring service to help athletes recover quicker and stronger, enabling them to perform at their optimum level.
Getting athletes to function at their optimum level is what it’s all about.
Recovery is just as important as training, yet it seems not many athletes’ trainers or coaches really focus on the aspects of recovery. Our areas of interest are all about RECOVERY to boost your athletic performance. Whether you’re recovering from an injury or you’re simply in between training, let the team at RECOVERY Doc help you boost your performance.
