Even the best training is useless if the body cannot regenerate optimally. Lymphatic drainage is a great way for cyclists to speed up recovery after training and competitions. It reduces swelling in the legs and improves blood circulation, especially after long rides or intense training. The lymphatic system does not have a pump like the heart, so it relies on movement, breathing, and muscle contractions to transport lymph fluid. The removal of waste and harmful products from the muscles is essential for regeneration. Not every athlete has the opportunity to undergo manual lymphatic drainage after a training session. However, there are now electronic aids that can do this work. Reboots is a market leader and offers a wide range of aids and devices to support recovery.
The body’s lymphatic system and how to support it
For a long time, medicine assumed that our venous system was the main part of the body’s transport system for removing waste products and toxins. This is not the case! It has been shown that the lymphatic system is the body’s main transport network for waste removal. The entire system can be thought of as a kind of sewage system. The vessels run through the body with fine branches reaching into every corner. Fluid—the lymph—is collected from the tissue, filtered in the lymph nodes, and returned to the bloodstream. The two central mechanisms for transporting lymph are the contraction of the moving muscles (muscle pump), which also promotes blood flow in the veins, and the contraction of the lymph vessels (lymphangion contraction) that also occurs as a result. Harmful substances and waste products such as damaged cell debris, bacteria, and pollutants are thus transported away from the periphery of the body. Lymph nodes function as filters and contain defense cells that can be released when needed. The lymphatic system is therefore an important part of the immune system and a pillar of immune defense. If the lymph vessels are defective, the lymph fluid cannot drain away or can only drain away insufficiently. Lymph then accumulates in the tissue, leading to swelling. This is referred to as lymphedema. A functioning lymphatic system and the smooth removal of harmful substances is essential for our health and regeneration.
Athletes would do well to increase lymph flow. Deep breathing using diaphragmatic breathing stimulates lymph flow, and elevating the legs after exercise uses gravity to support the return flow of lymph to the core of the body. However, these effects are limited. Compression through wearing compression garments can improve lymph return. Light movement of the legs, such as gentle walking, and cold treatments, such as Kneipp therapy, also support regeneration by promoting lymph flow. By far the best effect on the lymphatic system is achieved through classic lymphatic drainage. This stimulates the flow of lymph from the feet towards the torso in the legs. According to scientific studies, lymphatic drainage is just as effective as classic massage in terms of regeneration after physical exertion.
Reboots Recovery Boots
Reboots Recovery Boots use air-based compression massage to improve muscle recovery. The boots consist of separate air chambers. Reboots Recovery Boots are available in different versions (here). They all offer the possibility of performing massage and lymphatic drainage at home. The Reboots Go versions have an internal battery and therefore do not necessarily require an external power supply, which makes them easier to use “on the go.” Different programs allow for individual control of massage pressure and lymph stimulation intensity.
Lymphatic drainage helps transport waste products and other metabolic products such as lactate out of the muscles and return fresh blood and lymph fluid. Reboots Recovery Boots achieve this through special programs that inflate the air chambers one after the other, starting at the feet and progressing upwards, thereby exerting pressure on the legs. Imitation of classic massage is ensured by compressing and releasing the pressure with specially designed programs. The Reboots Recovery Boots thus contribute to improving blood and lymph circulation. The body’s natural recovery processes are supported, and some studies suggest that this is more effective than passive recovery alone. The whole process is implemented through customizable settings and various programs, allowing the intensity and sequence to be varied for personalized regeneration.
My experience with Reboots Recovery
This year, I suffered from shin splints, which are relatively rare among cyclists and particularly common among runners. Shin splints, also known as medial tibial stress syndrome, are an overuse injury that causes pain along the inner edge of the shinbone (tibia). It is caused by inflammation of the muscles, tendons, and bone tissue around the tibia, which is usually caused by a sudden increase in training intensity or duration. Symptoms include pain, tenderness, and sometimes slight swelling. I also had inflammation at the attachments of the anterior tibial muscles (musculus tibialis posterior and anterior) . The origin was most likely overworked calf muscles with hardening, which in turn led to overloading of the shin muscles.
To combat the inflammation, I used anti-inflammatory ointments and Reboots Double Thermo Sleeves. Reboots Double Thermo Sleeves can be used for both cold and heat therapy. They can be brought to the desired temperature using a refrigerator/freezer and microwave. The Reboots Double Thermo Sleeves are like leg warmers and are slipped on, allowing me to achieve even and targeted cooling of my lower legs. The Reboots Double Thermo Sleeves don’t slip and I had both hands free instead of having to press cooling bags against my leg.
To regenerate the damaged and inflamed tissue, it was essential to remove the tissue fluid and improve blood circulation. I used Reboots Recovery Boots for this, applying only moderate pressure in the pressure chambers during the first few days. Since reducing my training inevitably also reduced the activity of my muscle pump, I used the Reboots Recovery Boots twice a day. In my experience, using them in the evening before going to bed is a game changer. At the end of the day, I always notice more or less pronounced swelling in my legs compared to the hours after getting up. At night, the lymph flows slowly due to the higher position of the legs and regeneration begins. However, it takes some time for the excess fluid to be removed. When I use the Reboots Recovery Boots in the evening, some of the lymph is already removed and blood circulation is stimulated, so that the nightly regeneration process can begin immediately and is extended by hours.
Another important argument for purchasing Reboots Recovery Boots was the option to stimulate the lymphatic system and thus accelerate regeneration on days when I am unable to move around much—such as when traveling, working, ill, resting, or in the days leading up to a competition. The Reboots Recovery Boots were definitely a game changer for my healing process. The swelling went down significantly and the inflammation was quickly reduced.
The Reboots Recovery Boots are very easy to use and virtually foolproof thanks to numbers, symbols, and labels. I put on the boots wearing thin running pants without zippers. Getting in is child’s play thanks to the side zippers. After connecting the air hoses and switching on the device, the desired program, duration, and pressure intensity are selected at the touch of a button. Operation via remote control is also possible.
Lactate, hyperacidity, and lymphatic drainage
Lactate is an energy carrier and signaling molecule that plays an important role not only during exercise but also during recovery, although the exact processes involved are still not fully understood. However, there are still some outdated ideas about lactate that I would like to dispel here.
When muscles are working, increased levels of lactate are produced in the body during energy production. More specifically, lactic acid is initially produced, which immediately breaks down almost completely into lactate and a positively charged hydrogen particle (proton) H+. Whether a muscle is acidic or over-acidified depends on its pH value, which is defined as the potential of hydrogen (Latin: pondus hydrogenii). The more hydrogen ions (H+) are present, the more acidic the tissue is classified. The more lactate is produced, the more H+ ions are produced. However, it is an outdated misconception—which unfortunately still circulates—that this hyperacidity or lactate leads to muscle fatigue. According to recent studies, intracellular hyperacidity (acidosis) has little direct effect on muscle function and does not appear to impair energy production from carbohydrates (glycolysis) even at high intensities. In addition to the fact that various other factors are considered to be the cause of muscle fatigue, hyperacidity is no longer considered to be a trigger for fatigue. Instead, disturbances in the calcium signaling pathway (Ca2+ channels) and in phosphate, which increases during fatigue due to the breakdown of creatine phosphate, are seen as major causes of muscle fatigue.
Nevertheless, lactate and its transport play a role in athletic performance and subsequent recovery. As a signaling molecule, lactate leads to an increase in collagen synthesis, which is important for the formation of new blood vessels. Lactate promotes wound healing via an epigenetic mechanism. Even though lactate has positive effects on recovery and the protons produced do not cause muscle fatigue during exercise, the pH value—i.e., the number of H+ ions in the tissue—plays a role in recovery, and studies show that decreasing blood lactate levels after exercise are associated with better recovery. It is still unclear how exactly this correlation works and how it develops.
Studies show that the intracellular pH value in skeletal muscle is less acidic (more alkaline) than would be expected if the H+ ions were only passively distributed across the cell membrane of a muscle cell or muscle fiber (sarcolemma). This is partly because lactate and H+ ions are already metabolized in working muscles. However, the more important mechanism is the existing lactate-hydrogen co-transport system. It is found in almost all body cells. Exercise increases the associated transporters (monocarboxylate transporter isoform, MCTs). According to studies, obese people, especially those with type 2 diabetes, have fewer of these transporters (type MCT1).
In resting skeletal muscle (without increased lactate production), the transport processes for H+ ions are primarily the sodium-hydrogen exchanger, which simultaneously transports sodium into the cell and protons (H+ ions) out of the cell, thereby regulating both the pH value and the cell volume. Furthermore, protons are regulated by Na+/bicarbonate cotransport and the diffusion of CO2. With the lactate-hydrogen cotransport system, lactate is always transported together with a proton (H+ ion), which mainly plays a role during exercise. This allows lactate to pass from the muscles into the surrounding tissue and into the blood. Our heart in particular uses lactate as its main source of energy during exercise. After exercise, lactate is mainly used to replenish carbohydrate stores through conversion in the liver.
After exercise, the pH value in the muscles should be regulated as quickly as possible for optimal regeneration. Minor damage caused by training can lead to inflammatory processes. It is important to remove inflammatory markers and cell debris. The removal of lactate from the muscles lowers the pH value in the muscles and enables the metabolism of lactate, especially in the liver, which also serves to replenish carbohydrate stores.
Studies show that lymphatic drainage after training was associated with a faster decline in serum levels of muscle enzymes associated with muscular stress, such as lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and creatine kinase (CK). This could indicate improved regeneration processes in connection with structural damage to muscle cell integrity.
Conclusion
Stimulating the lymphatic system and removing waste and metabolic products from the muscles is essential for regeneration. The increased blood flow and supply of new nutrients to the muscle tissue resulting from lymphatic drainage also accelerates regeneration. Compression and cold applications can also be beneficial. Massages and lymphatic drainage are at the forefront in terms of effectiveness, and electronic devices such as Reboots Recovery Boots are now available for use at home and on the go.
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