Lie back and think of Ireland…..
Matt Brammeier is pictured here using a pair of full-length limb compression and massage boots at a training camp with his new Omega Pharma-Quickstep team in Calpe, southern Spain.
The Irish national road race and TT champion is recovering from surgery to have a titanium rod removed form his left femur – it was put in a few years ago when Brammeier was hit by a truck and broke both legs.
The ‘boots’ or ‘space legs’ he is seen wearing here (and maybe enjoying just a little too much – Ed) first came to the public’s attention when used by the US Navy Seals to assist its members recover quickly and more fully from surgery or injury.
They are now being used by the top pro cycling teams to help compress and massage limbs after hard efforts. In a nutshell, they are designed to decrease the inflammation of the muscles and other soft tissue brought about by hard training.
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A riders’ recovery from training and racing is aided by the use of the devices.
And with Brammeier just getting over from his surgery, the ‘space legs’ should reduce his recovery time from that operation too.
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The ‘space legs’ were first developed as a clinical treatment for patients with circulatory diseases arising from a range of issues; from diabetes to cancer.
The inflammation and micro trauma normally caused by intense training and racing isn’t too different to what cancer patients with lymphedema experience, or diabetics with chronic wounds that will not heal must endure.
Brammeier reports an on-track recovery from his surgery and is currently training with the rest of the riders at the team camp in Calpe.
The actual rod and bolts & pins they took out of Brammeier’s leg in a German clinic last month
X-ray of the titanium support before it was removed
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