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Background
Although scientific results are mainly focused on several training approaches and programs in the past, the interest in recovery of top athletes is increasing rapidly. After the exertion of a training session or a match, the athlete must “recover” and find a new balance in order to prepare his system for the next performance. Optimal recovery ensures that the top athlete is ready to give their best performance. A lack of recovery has an impact on the functioning of the athlete at all levels (physical, physiological, psychological and social) and consequently can lead to over-exertion (i.e. under recovery). The performance of a top athlete is, therefore,not only dependent on his potential or talent, his passionate commitment during training sessions or his ability to handle stress during matches, but also on his ability to recover after a training session or a match.
Method
10 elite athletes were treated with fasciatherapy (Danis Bois method), a manual approach that focus on the structural segmentation of the fascia, to address the elasticity of the tissue and muscle tone. Also through a specific technique, the “pulsology touch”, vascular resistance is regulated. A mixed methodology was used in this study, including interviews (qualitative) and Likert scales (quantitative). The qualitative analysis is based on a phenomenological approach, using a transverse hermeneutic interpretation.
Finally, this research translates the impact of fasciatherapy on seventeen indicators of physical, psychological and somato-psychic recovery.
Results
Results show a significant effect of fasciatherapy on physical aspects such as acute and chronic pain, physical tension, muscle stiffness but also on psychological aspects such as inner state, emotion, energy level and mental tension. Qualitative analyses offers an in depth comprehension of the athletes subjective experience and an insight in the processes during the treatment.
Conclusions
Fasiatherapy has a significant effect on both physical and psychological aspects and consequently on the recovery of top athletes. Also the use of a more qualitative approach to investigate the subjective experience of top athletes show promising results and give additional information during the recovering and treatment.
