Electric Blues hope new tech will spark SA tour

Blues winger Tevita Li makes a break during the Super Rugby round ten match against the Melbourne Rebels. The team is hoping some new tech will help them recover from the stresses of a big trip to South Africa. Photo / Getty

It's a long haul for professional rugby players flying across the world to play - but the Blues and their medical team are hoping some new high tech treatment will help them travel better this season.

The team is using a small neuromuscular device, called geko - designed to aid in post-sport recovery. It's a portable, wireless band placed at the base of the knee which delivers painless electrical impulses to increase blood circulation.

The geko - now used by the Blues to stimulate muscles with electrical impulses to reduce soreness and improve injury recovery.

Blues doctor Stephen Kara said team was hoping to see real benefits from the tech, which had been shown to reduce muscle soreness, aid recovery from a sprain or strain and reduce swelling following an injury.

The geko is worn during long flights, after intense training sessions and in hospitals for a range of conditions.

"Travel the day after a match limits recovery options but these devices ensure assisted muscle activity during long flights. They maintain the active recovery process in this down-time," said Kara.

"Additional risk reduction of deep vein thrombosis is certainly a benefit for The Blues management and players," he said.

The product is sold locally by uHealth-nz Former professional rugby player and physiotherapist Gavin Williams, who now works for the medical tech company, said it was encouraging to see such technology like this on the market at a reasonable price.

"Portable electro-stimulation products were not always easily available to the public due to cost and were not comfortable to use. The geko costs less than the price of a massage and is painless and easy to operate."