Given a Sporting Chance
GIVEN A SPORTING CHANCE
A lightweight wristband that fires tiny electric currents through the skin to
help relieve pain could revolutionise world sport, experts said yesterday.
The bracelet administers a technique known as 'mircocurrent therapy' to stimulate the body's natural healing process.
Similar devices are already in use in sports medicine, but existing equipment
tends to be bulky, expensive, and only suitable for use in clinics.
Now the same technology has been converted into a lightweight wristband called a BrodTENS, which allows sportsmen and women to get pain relief while they are playing or training.
It is thought the device, which goes on sale today, could help improve recovery
times and boost performance across a variety of sporting sectors.
Microcurrent therapy has already been used by Olympic champion hurdler Colin
Jackson and runner Carl Lewis, tennis star Tim Henman, and ex-England footballer Gary Linekar.
But the new wristband will allow amateurs and hobbyists
the chance to utilise the same technology without breaking the bank.
Nigel Broderick, the product's award-winning inventor, said: ''Measured in
millionths of an amp, microcurrents can turn off pain, operate vital organs and
move muscles.
''Studies have shown that unlike other currents, microcurrents are capable of
penetrating the cell walls to stimulate healing, while reducing the feeling of
pain, and helping to maintain the correct pH balance by stabilising ions and
increasing oxygen in the blood.''
The body relies on electrical activity in cells and a molecular compound known as Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) to keep vital tissue and muscles working effectively.
When the current is normal and ATP is made, blood is able to flow freely and transport key nutrients around the body.
But a sporting injury means the passage of current becomes obstructed. This
reduces the production of ATP, which in turn leads to a decreased blood supply - depriving the tissue of the minerals it needs.
Microcurrent therapy emits tiny electronic impulses to the damaged area -
effectively 'topping up' the reduced levels of ATP and current.
The technology has been utilised by sportsmen and women for some time.
But the BrodTENS will allow them to receive the same treatment on the move, and
away from the clinic.
The device requires no batteries and is powered instead by a copper cathode and a zinc anode, which use the body's own sweat to generate a small current.
It weighs just 20 grams and, like a watch, can be worn around the clock to help alleviate pain.
Mr Broderick, one of the world's leading experts in alternative treatments, said its sturdy design makes it perfect for both contact and non-contact sports.
''Oxygen is essential for cell metabolism, which in turn promotes tissue oxygenation, essential for all normal physiological functions,'' he added.
''Oxygen supplementation is most helpful in any physical exercise. In addition to decreased feelings of pain, the release of endorphins can lead to what athletes often call a 'natural high'.
''Helping to maintain correct pH can also help reduce lactic acid, the enemy of all sports people.''
Microcurrents differ slightly from TENS, or transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, which blocks pain signals to the brain but does not accelerate the healing process.
Will Massingale, 30, plays amateur rugby for a local team in Bude, Cornwall. He said the promise of pain alleviation without having to miss matches would ''greatly improve'' players' longevity.
Married Will, who has broken three ribs in the past two months, said: ''Like most sportsmen, I love being in the heart of the action.
''But as you get older, the healing process takes longer and, unless you're willing to spend lots of money on physiotherapists, it's difficult not to take longer and longer spells recovering.
''A device like this could greatly improve recovery times, and I look forward to seeing it in widespread use.''
www.cheshiremagnetichealth.com
A lightweight wristband that fires tiny electric currents through the skin to
help relieve pain could revolutionise world sport, experts said yesterday.
The bracelet administers a technique known as 'mircocurrent therapy' to stimulate the body's natural healing process.
Similar devices are already in use in sports medicine, but existing equipment
tends to be bulky, expensive, and only suitable for use in clinics.
Now the same technology has been converted into a lightweight wristband called a BrodTENS, which allows sportsmen and women to get pain relief while they are playing or training.
It is thought the device, which goes on sale today, could help improve recovery
times and boost performance across a variety of sporting sectors.
Microcurrent therapy has already been used by Olympic champion hurdler Colin
Jackson and runner Carl Lewis, tennis star Tim Henman, and ex-England footballer Gary Linekar.
But the new wristband will allow amateurs and hobbyists
the chance to utilise the same technology without breaking the bank.
Nigel Broderick, the product's award-winning inventor, said: ''Measured in
millionths of an amp, microcurrents can turn off pain, operate vital organs and
move muscles.
''Studies have shown that unlike other currents, microcurrents are capable of
penetrating the cell walls to stimulate healing, while reducing the feeling of
pain, and helping to maintain the correct pH balance by stabilising ions and
increasing oxygen in the blood.''
The body relies on electrical activity in cells and a molecular compound known as Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) to keep vital tissue and muscles working effectively.
When the current is normal and ATP is made, blood is able to flow freely and transport key nutrients around the body.
But a sporting injury means the passage of current becomes obstructed. This
reduces the production of ATP, which in turn leads to a decreased blood supply - depriving the tissue of the minerals it needs.
Microcurrent therapy emits tiny electronic impulses to the damaged area -
effectively 'topping up' the reduced levels of ATP and current.
The technology has been utilised by sportsmen and women for some time.
But the BrodTENS will allow them to receive the same treatment on the move, and
away from the clinic.
The device requires no batteries and is powered instead by a copper cathode and a zinc anode, which use the body's own sweat to generate a small current.
It weighs just 20 grams and, like a watch, can be worn around the clock to help alleviate pain.
Mr Broderick, one of the world's leading experts in alternative treatments, said its sturdy design makes it perfect for both contact and non-contact sports.
''Oxygen is essential for cell metabolism, which in turn promotes tissue oxygenation, essential for all normal physiological functions,'' he added.
''Oxygen supplementation is most helpful in any physical exercise. In addition to decreased feelings of pain, the release of endorphins can lead to what athletes often call a 'natural high'.
''Helping to maintain correct pH can also help reduce lactic acid, the enemy of all sports people.''
Microcurrents differ slightly from TENS, or transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, which blocks pain signals to the brain but does not accelerate the healing process.
Will Massingale, 30, plays amateur rugby for a local team in Bude, Cornwall. He said the promise of pain alleviation without having to miss matches would ''greatly improve'' players' longevity.
Married Will, who has broken three ribs in the past two months, said: ''Like most sportsmen, I love being in the heart of the action.
''But as you get older, the healing process takes longer and, unless you're willing to spend lots of money on physiotherapists, it's difficult not to take longer and longer spells recovering.
''A device like this could greatly improve recovery times, and I look forward to seeing it in widespread use.''
www.cheshiremagnetichealth.com