I live by my legs. After one game my body is tired and soar. After 4 games in four nights…Let me tell you, the next morning it can be difficult moving around.
This is before I took post game recovery seriously. Through the advice of Dr. Ajaya L. Williams from TAPE (Taking Action with Preventative Education) she gave me a three step plan to post game recovery that has been beneficial to me performing at my best.
Step 1: After the game or when you get home or to the hotel you should perform a full body stretch.
Step 2: is used only if necessary. If you are soar this is what I suggest. After every game, when I get home or to a hotel I fill a bag of ice and put them on my soar joints or muscles… knees, hamstrings, achilles, etc. I do this 20 minutes on and 1 hour off. Then repeat if you have time or if necessary. If your whole body is soar, try an ice bath. Its not my cup of tea but an ice bath works the same.
Step 3: Then I elevate my legs for 15-20 minutes. I lift my legs at the top of a head board or I lie on my back and elevate them on the wall. This helps drain tension from the feet, legs and hips and reduces swelling. For you nerds out there, its called lymphatic drainage.
Bonus: If you have plastic wrap or ace bandage available, wrap your ice bags around your soar joints and elevate at the same time. It kills two birds with one stone.
I can’t tell you how good I feel in the morning.
Safe traveling.
Life of a basketball referee uncovered.
Check out tapenyc.org
