Turmeric, ginger, infrared light, shockwave therapy: Recovery at FIFA World Cup

This tournament has largely been about quick turnarounds and high-intensity face-offs. With the outcome of most games not certain till very late, it hasn’t been easy and recovery periods stretch into an entire day.

Besides the dietary intakes where carbs and proteins are fed to make up for energy loss, Harry Kane & his mates also undergo what’s now a regulation SOP for all top teams. After years of Epsom salts to replenish magnesium sulphate reserves, ice baths have become a routine; the English also travel with lasers for infrared therapy.

To that 8-degree chilling extremity of an ice tub is added another innovation – sitting in a 90-degree sauna by the likes of Haaland, who also has a £50,000 cryotherapy chamber installed at his Cheshire home. At the World Cup, ice bath units travel with the teams, as does the food.

But there are entire laser rooms reconstructed for recovery – something Haaland has been doing at Manchester City also. Time in the infrared room directly increases the body temperature and triggers muscle relaxation. Fresh blood is known to rush to the legs, as soon as the panels give off red light that sinks past the skin into muscles, joints and tissues, according to The Sun.

Haaland, in fact, invested in a £15,000 red-light bed two years back, and The Sun reported that five minutes in it before workout and 20 minutes after can help prevent injury and aid recovery. His actual refuelling is of course a raw-milk-with-spinach potion, tomahawk steaks and beef heart and liver.

Norway’s Erling Haaland invested in a £15,000 red-light bed two years back. (Photo: AP)

Technology to the rescue

Spain has been an early adopter of advanced therapies like EMTT (Extracorporeal Magneto Transduction Therapy) and NESA (Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation). EMTT involves sending quick magnetic wave signals – it’s described as a speed battery charger – through the body, and helps in blocking pain signals, and accelerates tissue repair. The magnetic fields infiltrate the body and quicken tissue regeneration, explains VennHealthcare.

NESA sees electric micro-current impulses that urge the nervous system to kickstart the process of blunting pain and reduce inflammation. The European champions have dedicated research dating back five years when the magnetic and shockwave therapies were put to research and implementation.

The Swiss lean on rehydration through berry juice and are known to consume tart cherries – for a high percentage of melatonin. Compression garments to force and regulate blood flow to the feet are commonly used.

But the Nordic trendsetter Haaland might well have the final word. The super-trick: Sleep deep for 8-9 hours.

“Sleep is the most important thing in the world. To sleep good, (I do) simple things [like wearing] blue blocking glasses, and shutting out all the signals in the bedroom,” he said on Logan Paul’s Impaulsive podcast.

Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni pointed out that fixture congestion had become an opponent in itself for his team. But the lament also sees backroom staff monitor Messi & Co’s recovery – especially tough as they are the ninth-oldest team in the tournament.

MundoAmerica.com reported that each player has to complete a recovery card with 150 points per week, earned by completing a series of tasks, each with a specific score: 14 minutes of cycling for 40 points, five of foam rolling for 10, while cold baths and massages get 30, similar to four minutes of upper body strength training. The goal is for everyone to have 150 points on their card, monitored by the medical staff.

But Scaloni’s lament highlighted that recovery was tough – perhaps Argentina’s mightiest opponent.