Tanya Khubchandani Vatsa, founder of Elixir Wellness, stands outside a cryotherapy machine the center uses to treat muscle inflammation. During the 3-minute session, the machine is cooled to -190°C. (Right) Normatec compression includes sleeve-like pouches for the legs and arms. Massage your hands and feet using pressurized air pockets.Photo/Anurag Ahire
Ice baths may seem like just another challenge on social media, but fitness freaks have been doing them since before it got cool. Last week, Rohan Bopanna, who made history as the world’s oldest Grand Slam winner at the age of 43, spoke about using ice baths to recover from on-field sessions. Immersing the entire body in ice water appears to reduce inflammation, swelling, and pain, and return muscles to normal functioning. However, this technique is one of the basic techniques in exercise recovery, a practice that helps the body recover after intense exercise.
Certified recovery specialist Maurika Sharma says many people are healthy but don’t know how to recover from fitness activities. Sharma, who has been training since her college days, says she started recovery therapy when she felt she wasn’t as healthy as she looked. “Recovery isn’t about rest, it’s about flexibility, mobility, and understanding how to reduce inflammation and oxidative load,” she says. “I’ve noticed that many of the people who come to the gym who look healthy are actually injured. They suffer from back pain, shoulder problems, knee problems.” Sharma, who is also a & conditioning coach, personally likes ice baths and needling therapy to reduce inflammation and induce point release.
These specialized treatments are derived from physical therapy and sports medicine and have traditionally been used by elite athletes who have the funds and access to such treatments. “When former England cricket captain Michael Vaughan was here for the World Cup, he underwent cryotherapy every day for three weeks,” says Tanya, founder of Elixir Wellness Center in Pedder Road.・Khubchandani Vatsa says. “He loved ice baths and cryotherapy and would often stop by for sessions on his way to the Wankhede Stadium.”
The three-minute cryotherapy session costs R4,900 and involves standing in a room with an internal temperature of -190 degrees Celsius to treat inflammation. It’s like an ice bath, but faster. “Three minutes of cryotherapy is equivalent to his 21 hours in an ice bath in terms of its effect on inflammation,” Vatsa explains. “In an ice bath, the impact of the water on you forces you into a hunched posture, which can injure your back muscles.”
Elixir Wellness started with IV therapy in 2021 and has since branched out into exercise-based recovery therapy. The center offers a variety of services, including Normatec Compression Therapy, which compresses muscles with air pockets, and Hypervolt Trigger Point Release, which targets muscle pain points with a percussion gun that emits pressure and vibrations. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a 75-minute session that costs R6,500 and involves sitting in a Food and Drug Administration-approved chamber that raises the pressure to up to three times atmospheric pressure and breathing pure oxygen through a mask.
There are also high-tech devices that can help you track your body’s recovery status. Parisha Luia, a fitness coach and Pilates instructor, trusts her Whoop band to track her calories and sleep quality from the night before. “The biggest feature is that it has a diary. If you write in things like “I had red light therapy yesterday” or “I had a massage the day before,” it will tell you which treatments were effective.” What has worked for you or is facilitating your recovery more than others?” Ruia says. She also tried Normatec compression and red light therapy, which uses low wavelength red light to stimulate tissue.
These treatments boil down to learning to slow down the body. This is just as important as warming up your body with exercise. Track and field athlete Ayesha Bilimoria, known as ‘Fit Girl India’ on Instagram, says recovery needs to be tailored to each individual. “My recovery requires acupuncture once a month and massage and physical therapy twice a month,” says the two-time national gold medalist. “Sometimes I use Normatech Compression, which is a 20-minute therapy that gives instant relief before and after a workout.” She also uses a Hyperice Hypervolt gun to target tight muscle points. says that regular infrared therapy can help reduce joint inflammation.
However, she feels that simple things like massage and stretching can help her recover. “With the blame, [ease of] Without access to these technologies, people are not taking care of their bodies. ” she says. “They stretch for five minutes, jump in a water bath, or use a massage gun. But stretching has to be done methodically. We forget that we have strength.” Sharma says these simple techniques are meant for short-term relief, and that deep tissue massage and mobility training can improve muscle health in the long term. Helps maintain.
Additionally, these specialized treatments and devices, like other exercise recovery tools, are not easily accessible or cost-effective for the general public. Jiyajit Kaur Sethi, a nutritionist, yoga and fitness instructor, says foam rolling can help. Foam rolls are cylindrical rolls covered with rubber or plastic. Rolling it along your body helps broken muscle tissue interact with more blood flow. She also uses yoga for recovery, as it involves breathing exercises and “training your muscles to listen to your breath.” Mr. Sharma emphasizes deep breathing techniques. “It may sound simple, but breathwork, which involves breathing upward from the abdomen rather than shallow surface breathing, is one of the simplest ways to increase overall health,” he says.