By Michael Rand, personal trainer and triathlete.
If you remember my last blog, BMT: A versatile solution for common injuries and sprain recovery, I was using my ABMMA PRO BMT Device to help rehabilitate my ankle after spraining it badly on a morning run. I am happy to report, last weekend I completed Ironman Cairns. I managed to get my ankle to a level that I resumed running at a reasonable level and crossed the line in my second fastest Ironman time ever!
Even though I made it to the start line, the truth was that the damage that I did to my ankle was too bad to get it back to anywhere near 100%. I truly believe that the only reason I made it to the start line in the first place was because of my Bioelectric Meridian Therapy self-treatment at home. Still, the pain and dysfunction that I had in the ankle joint caused a significant compensatory run, ride and swim patterns.
Over the 8 weeks from ankle sprain to Ironman race day, I developed quite a few niggles that I had to stay on top of, so they didn’t completely derail my race. Through it all, with my strength and conditioning, and the use of my ABMMA PRO device three times weekly, I stayed relatively healthy.
Pain management without the ABMMA PRO Device
As it turned out, my biggest issue was the fact that I didn’t have enough room in my luggage for my ABMMA PRO BMT Device. Over the week leading up to the race, my ankle inflammation and the pain in my left knee increased steadily. It was to the point that the night before I couldn’t bend my knee past 45 degrees without significant pain and my ankle was quite clearly swollen. Long story short, I got through the day in a lot of pain and have never been so happy to see the finish line. Three days later we arrived home, and I got ready to book an appointment with my physiotherapist as soon as possible.
Recovery process and next steps
Four days after the race I managed to get time to use my ABMMA PRO device. Firstly, I did what I like to call the warm-up. Which involves standing up with each foot on a pad and working program 2 on a moderate level of about 20. Within 5 minutes I was already starting to feel the improvements.
After the initial 30 minutes, I then went to work on my left knee. Using program 1 on level 19, I placed the two green pads on the lowest section of the vastus medialis and vastus lateralis and then I placed the red pad on my sacrum. I sat there and let the unit do its work. After 30 minutes, I felt the knee loosen up and the pain level reduced significantly.
Once I was happy with the left knee, I went to work on the right ankle. I placed the 2 green pads on the medial and lateral ankle just below the malleolus and left the red pad on the sacrum. Another 30 minutes later, the ankle was feeling significantly better and the inflammation was noticeably reduced.
Seven days later, I have repeated the same protocol twice and the body is responding positively. Both the knee and ankle are back to about 80%.
Allowing time to heal and recover
I am having a full fortnight completely off training to allow my body to heal and recover. The ABMMA PRO BMT Device is making it much easier to get my body healthy and pain free again. Now that I am feeling generally better, I have started using the Electro-Rod on my legs. The addition of this BMT accessory has allowed me to target my treatments to areas of discomfort. Using the Electro-Rod both like a normal Gua Sha Instrument and as a frequency delivery tool getting the treatment right into the area that needs it most, creates the ultimate treatment modality.
Other articles by author
BMT: A versatile solution for common injuries and sprain recovery
BMT & Repetitive Hamstring Strain – An Athletes Perspective BMT for Performance and Recovery
