Running head: WHAT ARE RECOVERY MODALITIES A HIGH SCHOOL

FOOTBALL COULD ACTUALLY USE?

1

What Are Recovery Modalities A High School Football Could Actually

Use?
Tim Dreger
Ohio University
COED 6340

WHAT ARE RECOVERY MODALITIES A HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL

COULD ACTUALLY USE?

In the United States, every year there are a half a million high school football
players who become injured during practices and competitions, out of the nearly one
million who participate (Bonza, Fields, Yard, & Comstock, 2009, p. 78). In order to be
less susceptible to injuries, athletes need to practice and compete while at close to full
recovery (Kellmann, 2010). The purpose of this paper is to find not only effective
methods, but also find ones that high school athletes will actually use. By implementing
tangible and effective recovery modalities, high school football players will be able to
compete at a higher state of readiness.
The role of recovery is often misunderstood, especially among high school aged
athletes (Jeffreys, 2004, p. 28; Kellmann, 2010). In order for high school athletes to
utilize effective recover modalities, they first need to fit three constraints. The recovery
technique has to first of all me easy to use. Complicated techniques, or ones with multiple
steps, will most likely be considering too difficult to use by this age group. The recover
technique must also be readily available. Expensive tools and techniques will be out of
the reach for most high schoolers. Finally, it must, almost immediately, be deemed
effective by the player (Kellmann, 2010). The attention span of most high schoolers is
short. Many will not have the patience required to adhere to a recover protocol that does
not offer immediate results. In the following paragraphs, multiple recovery strategies will
be suggested for high school football players. Each protocol listed must fit the constraints
listed above.

Active Recovery

WHAT ARE RECOVERY MODALITIES A HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL

COULD ACTUALLY USE?

Active recovery is an effective recovery technique. The technique calls for

performing low-intensity exercise to get the bodys blood pumping. Rountree (2011)
states, Easy, stand-alone active recovery workouts elevate the heart rate just enough to
increase blood flow to recovering muscles, and they must be light enough so that they do
not tax the muscular and cardiovascular systems they are intended to help (p. 56). Since
football is a skill-oriented sport, practicing the skills necessary to be successful at football
could be considered active recovery (Rountree, 2011, p. 56). However, in-order for this
period of time to be considered active recovery, it must be low intensity. If the active
recovery session becomes too intense, it is to be considered another training session for
the day. By going too hard during the recovery session, it is defeating to purpose of the
session. Rountree (2011) suggests, Make easy days really easy so that the hard days can
be truly hard (p. 57). Some football players may be tempted to work at too high of an
intensity using football specific drills. Thus, it is highly recommended for athletes to
cross train. Using a different sport for active recovery can introduce not only variety of
intensity but also variety of muscle recruitment to your training. It can also provide a
mental break for the single-sport athlete (Rountree, 2011, p. 60). Football players legs
can take a beating over the course of the season. Swimming is an effective low-impact
exercise and could be used as a recovery tool. Specifically for swimming, The pressure
of the water supports your muscles and facilitated recovery by helping
remove edema, and the workout is, of course, nonimpact and engages
your entire body-upper body, core, and lower body (Rountree, 2011,
p. 60). With active recovery easy, readily available, and offering immediate results, it is
a recovery tool high school football players would likely to be willing to use.

WHAT ARE RECOVERY MODALITIES A HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL

COULD ACTUALLY USE?

Passive Recovery (Sleep)

High school football players will not argue with the importance of
sleep. Sleep has to do with more than just recovery (Kellmann, 2010;
Kennedy, Tamminen, & Holt, 2013). Your sleep affects not just your recovery
but also your ability to perform to your potential in workouts
(Rountree, 2011, p. 71). This makes logical sense. If the body is in a
sleep deficit, it will not have a full tank going into the competition or
practice. Research at Stanford University (as cited by Mah, 2008)
shows that athletes who get plenty of sleep demonstrate improved
ability at sprinting, faster reaction times, and improved moods
(Rountree, 2011, p. 71). Performance has a direct relation to the
amount and quality of sleep an athlete gets Kennedy, Tamminen, & Holt,
2013). There are times when the amount of sleep becomes less than
adequate. When this becomes the case, naps can be a good way to
booster the quantity of rest a football player gets over the course of a
day. Short naps on 20 minutes and longer naps of an hour and a half
can be beneficial. Be aware of naps of around 45 minutes, because
they can potentially leave the athlete feeling not with it (Rountree,
2011, p. 74). Finally, the quantity of sleep every night should be
consistent. Allow 12 hours of sleep and four hours of sleep, on
consecutive days, averages out to eight hours per day, this is not ideal.
Football players should aim to get to bed at the same time every
night and to wake up around the same time every morning (Rountree,

WHAT ARE RECOVERY MODALITIES A HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL

COULD ACTUALLY USE?

2011, p. 76). Keeping this type of routine up from week to week is vital
to the recovery process.

Cold Treatment
With ice and cold-water treatment readily available to high
school football players, the remedy is one that can be considered both
effective and likely to be used by players. Cold treatment can take the
shape of ice bags, ice cups, cold tubs, and even cool bodies of water.
The purpose of cold treatment is the reduce inflammation caused by
participation in sport (Burgess & Lambert, 2010). The standard protocol is
to apply ice for 10 to 15 minutes, and sometimes to repeat applications
after 20 minutes off, up to three times per day (Rountree, 2011, p.
105). The initial application of cold has significant benefits, but many
do not know the benefits that happen after the cold has been removed.
Rountree (2011) mentions thats Subsequent removal of the cold
stimulus then encourages renewed blood flow to the area, bringing in
oxygen and cellular chemicals to speed up recovery while removing
the negative by-products of exercise and inflammation (p. 102). In
todays society, many believe more is better, but that may not be true
when using cold treatment. A cool bath may be just as beneficial as an
icy one, with 55 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit and ideal temperature
(Rountree, 2011, p. 102). With this being said, many lakes, rivers, and
streams maintain a cool temperature throughout the early football

WHAT ARE RECOVERY MODALITIES A HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL

COULD ACTUALLY USE?

season. After a few minutes in the cold water, you may become numb
enough to stay for 10 to 15 minutes. There is no need to remain longer
than 20 minutes; depending on temperature, shorter might be better
(Rountree, 2011, p. 105). Instead of icing and walking on a treadmill for
active recovery, a player could be more time efficient if they swam in a
cool lake. At our local high school in the Midwest, we have many spring
fed lakes and streams, as well as ice-cold streams. This free and readily
available resource should needs to be utilized to a greater degree than
it already is. Timing of cold treatment is also important. Athletes should
attempt to use cold as soon as possible after their workout or practice
(Burgess & Lambert, 2010). The goal of the ice bath is to combat excess
inflammation that will hamper training and to reduce the pain in the
muscles after a workout (Rountree, 2011, p. 104). With this treatment
being accessible, easy to use, and immediately effective, it is a good
choice for high school football players.

Heated Treatment
At Campbellsport High School, we are lucky enough to have a
whirlpool. This machine is large enough to fit two football players
sitting down in it. While this tool may not be readily accessible to all
football players in America, CHS players can count on being able to use
heat treatment. It can be confusing at first when to use heat
treatment. Before applying heat, consider the cause of the

WHAT ARE RECOVERY MODALITIES A HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL

COULD ACTUALLY USE?

soreness. If your muscles have been overworked and may be inflamed,

adding heat may only exacerbate the situation, compounding your
soreness and slowing your recovery (Rountree, 2011, p. 108). In this
case, cold treatment should be applied to help loosen up tight,
uninflamed muscles. Not only does the heat provide benefits, but the
water does as well. The hydrostatic pressure of water is beneficial for
reducing swelling, and the movement of water over the body will relax
both muscles and mind while increasing circulation (Rountree, 2011,
p. 107). While I may not recommend heat treatment to most high
school football players because of it being tough to access, the
recommendation stands for CHS football players because we have
easy access to a heated whirl pool.
Self-Massage
While CHS football players are fortunate enough to have access
to many recover tools, a massage therapist is not one of them. With
this being said, self-massage can provide many of the same benefits,
whenever the athletes want, at a fraction of the cost. At CHS, we have
access to foam rollers, lacrosse balls, and golf balls. These tools will be
the ones used for myofascial release. Self-massage has many benefits.
Self-massage helps you release adhesions, knots, and trigger points in the soft tissue and
is an important part of injury prevention (Rountree, 2011, p. 139). The goal of
foam rolling is to work out the tight spots in the muscles, and restore
them back to working order. As long as the pressure is not

WHAT ARE RECOVERY MODALITIES A HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL

COULD ACTUALLY USE?

overwhelming and the athlete is rolling out bone and not muscle, it
method cannot be done wrong. Rountree (2011) recommends Once
the pressure feels right, slowly travel along the muscle fibers a few
times, pausing as you feel particular points of tightness or frission (p.
108). At CHS, football players roll out there glutes, hamstrings,
quadriceps, IT band, leg adductors, calves, thoracic spine, lats,
pectorals, and the soles of their feet. Foam rollers are cheap, and
athletes are instantly hooked once they start rolling out.
Although there are many recovery methods that are effective,
very few would actually be regularly used by a high school football
player. Again, the method needs to all three of the before mentioned
constraints. The method must be easy to use, readily available to a
high school football player, and it must be effective. The use of active
recovery, passive recovery, cold treatment, heat treatment, and selfmassage all fit the constraints listed above. These treatments
could be utilized by a high school football player to aid in the recovery
process, and remain injury free.

WHAT ARE RECOVERY MODALITIES A HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL

COULD ACTUALLY USE?

References
Bonza, J., Fields, S., Yard, E., & Comstock, R. (2009). Shoulder injuries among United
States high school athletes during the 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 school years.
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Burgess, T. L., & Lambert, M. I. (2010). The efficacy of cryotherapy on recovery
following exercise-induced muscle damage. International Sportmed Journal,

WHAT ARE RECOVERY MODALITIES A HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL

COULD ACTUALLY USE?

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11(2), 258-277. Retrieved from

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performance. Velo Press. Boulder, CO. 71-74.