If you’ve ever completed any kind of endurance event, you’ll know that for all the hours you train, you’ll spend double that attempting to recover. Amateur athletes can end up completing their own marathon of tried and tested rehabilitation remedies. But a host of game-changing new gadgets are now available to kickstart your regime.
Sidekick Scrapers Paradise bundle
Scraping, a manual, ancient practice where pain points are worked with a stainless-steel gua sha (smooth-edged tool), reportedly increases blood flow by up to 400 per cent more than foam rolling and massage guns. By breaking up old, damaged blood vessels to promote new growth and healing, these tools are useful for getting into the nooks and crannies of a pain point, especially in delicate areas like along the shin muscles and under the foot.
The grippy Echo ($135) is great for alleviating pressure in the trapezius (back), while the Bow tool is best suited to quads and hamstrings. Bonus points for the fact they’re easily packed into a suitcase for on-the-go recovery. From $354, sidekicktool.com
Achedaway Scraper
Achedaway founder Tim Tian has taken the scraper idea and supercharged it, creating a manual, triangular tool that blends heat and vibration therapy. “Cold blades stiffen muscles, blocking a deep release,” he says.
With his device, which takes three seconds to reach 50ºC, muscles soften, making it easier, he says, to massage away tension, increase blood flow and promote healing. The scraper is great for alleviating delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) in the quads, and provides a relaxing switch-up from the foam roller slog. But the device is quite cumbersome, so for harder-to-reach body parts, you might need a helping hand. £209, achedaway.uk
Hyperice Normatec 3 Legs
These air compression boots are fast-becoming a go-to among running and cycling enthusiasts. The thigh-high, zip-up bootees plug into a lithium-ion battery to inflate, dynamically pumping pressure around the legs and feet. It feels a lot like a blood-pressure checker and, delivered in systematic waves, gets rid of water retention, reduces swelling and boosts circulation. “They make you feel refreshed faster,” says Gilad Jacobs, founder of Normatec Recovery, who was inspired to create the device by his bio-engineer mother to help women undergoing breast cancer treatment.
They make it easier to stay on top of leg fatigue during heavy training weeks. The just-released Normatec Lower Legs (£429) are half the price and half the size – great for track-sessions or packed into a post-race bag. £799, hyperice.com
Therabody Power Dot 2.0
One of Therabody’s latest releases offers electrical muscle stimulation therapy via slickly designed stick-on electrodes. This tiny device operates via an app, where users select their purpose or problem area.
A targeted session has video instructions on how and where to place the conductor pads. It feels a bit like minor electric shocks, which relax tight muscles and overactive nerves. £325, therabody.com
The Spartan Barrel
Cold-water immersion therapy for the home. Pop one of Spartan’s inflatable pods on a balcony and fill using a hose pipe – for an extra $1,560, the Spartan max chiller and heater can be added to maintain the water temperature at 3.8ºC. “They suit the demands of modern living, regardless of your geographical location,” according to James Richard, a wrestler and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu athlete, who founded Spartan in 2023. $440, spartanicebath.com
HigherDose Infared Sauna Blanket
US brand HigherDose, which has physical spaces in New York, brings its infrared therapy to the home with this fold-up, plug-in blanket. It is effectively a heat-up sleeping bag that, according to the brand, boosts circulation, detoxifies and burns calories. It’s fairly easy to relax in – and even doze off. Follow with a cold bath or shower for the full experience. £839, higherdose.com
Kineon Move+ Pro LED & Laser
Clipped onto a band of adjustable webbing, these FDA-cleared lasers penetrate deeper than LEDs to reach cartilage damage and target discomfort caused by osteoarthritis. The device can also be used for the neck, ankle, elbow and shoulder: the brand claims it reduces joint pain after just one use, and promises that up to 15 minutes twice a day is enough to rehabilitate long standing afflictions like achilles tendonitis. It can also be used to speed up recovery after knee replacement surgery. £397.98, kineon.io
Achedaway Smart Cupping Therapy Massager
The ancient Chinese practice of cupping has, in recent years, been reframed as a western wellness must-do. While in-spa treatments use glass jars, Achedaway’s is a plug-in plastic device that delivers infrared therapy and intense suction. Controlled using an app, sessions range from one minute to 12. You can use the cup almost anywhere on the body (it’s particularly great for shoulder discomfort). The downside is that you can only treat one area at once, unless you buy multiples. £205, achedaway.com
Aletha Health The Mark
The hips don’t lie, so sang Shakira. And that sentiment rang so true for Christine Koth, a physical therapist and founder of Aletha Health, that she created a tool to address deep-seated tightness in the hip flexors that, she believes, could set off a “chain reaction of pain” in the back, pelvis and piriformis muscle, as well as causing sciatica, and imbalances that can cause leg and knee issues.
The Mark is effectively a hook that targets hip flexors, and the iliacus and psoas muscles – the sustained pressure of the hook releases tension in a way that stretching, massage and even osteopathy struggles to remedy. the brand promises that 90 seconds at a time is enough to reduce discomfort. £159, alethahealth.com
