HydroWorx Plays Part in Underwater Treadmill "Torture" of Antonio Valencia
When Manchester United winger Antonio Valencia fractured his left ankle in September, no one expected him to make a comeback before mid-February... but with a HydroWorx underwater treadmill, he might just play in January.
Online, December 11, 2010 (Newswire.com) - For an international soccer star, fracturing an ankle typically means a significant leave of absence. But Manchester United's Antonio Valencia hasn't taken his serious ankle injury in the September game against Rangers lying down. Instead, he's been undergoing what some have deemed "water torture" in the team's HydroWorx underwater treadmill to speed up his recovery.
According to John Davin, Manchester United's 1st Team Physiotherapist, Valencia's heavy-duty workouts and aquatic therapy sessions are having an incredibly positive impact.
"Antonio continues to make excellent progress through his rehabilitation," says Davin. "His progression has, without doubt, been greatly assisted by the use of the HydroWorx underwater treadmill pool. It has provided a medium in which Antonio can run relatively early without adverse effect to the healing and repair of damaged tissue..."
The HydroWorx underwater treadmill allows athletes to minimize their land-based training and physical. As Anson Flake, President, HydroWorx, explains, "On a HydroWorx underwater treadmill, athletes are 20-100% 'lighter' than they are on land. This equates to reduced overall body stress during physical therapy, thus decreasing much of the discomfort typically seen when rehabbing breaks, strains, sprains and similar problems."
Adds Flake, "We look forward to seeing Antonio Valencia in action next month. We're privileged to have played a part in his journey back to the pitch."