NORMATEC
Pulse Recovery System
What is Normatec Pulse?
NormaTec is the leader in rapid recovery—our systems give a competitive edge to the world’s elite athletes, coaches, and trainers. Our goal is to establish recovery as an integral part of every athlete’s training, and we feel NormaTec systems are the best way to accomplish that. The NormaTec PULSE Recovery Systems are dynamic compression devices designed for recovery and rehab. All of our systems use NormaTec’s patented PULSE technology to help athletes recover faster between trainings and after performance.
Our systems include a control unit and attachments which go on the legs, arms, or hips. They use compressed air to massage your limbs, mobilize fluid, and speed recovery with our patented NormaTec Pulse Massage Pattern. When you use our systems, you will first experience a pre-inflate cycle, during which the connected attachments are molded to your exact body shape. The session will then begin by compressing your feet, hands, or upper quad (depending on which attachment you are using). Similar to the kneading and stroking done during a massage, each segment of the attachment will first compress in a pulsing manner and then release. This will repeat for each segment of the attachment as the compression pattern works its way up your limb.
NormaTec Boots
According to the manufacturer, scientists developed the concept of using external compression to aid the body’s normal circulatory system in the 1960s. In 1998 Dr. Laura Jacobs combined compression with a massage pattern.
The compression initially was applied to patients with circulation-related disorders including lymphodema, a swelling caused by fluid buildup in soft body tissues. In 2007, NormaTec added an Athlete Technologies division.
An individual slips each leg into a full-length nylon boot. The boots, connected to a compressor, inflate much like a blood pressure cuff around the arm. Once inflated, the boot begins sequential pulsing, starting at the base of the foot and moving up to the ankle, calf, knee and upper quad.
The process flushes the lymphatic fluids and deoxygenated blood out of the legs, Murdock says. Once completed, the legs have fresh oxygenated blood, which he says speeds up the healing and recovery process. Clients typically recline for 30- or 60-minute sessions
The NormaTec Pulse Massage Pattern starts in the foot, hand, or lower hip and moves upwards zone-by-zone massaging the limb and mobilizing fluid out of the extremities.
Created by a physician bio engineer (MD, PhD) to enhance blood flow and speed recovery, NormaTec Pulse Massage Pattern employs three key techniques to maximize your recovery:
PULSING: Instead of using static compression (squeezing) to transport fluid out of the limbs, Sequential Pulse Technology uses dynamic compression (pulsing). Our patented pulsing action more effectively mimics the muscle pump of the legs and arms, greatly enhancing the movement of fluid and metabolites out of the limbs after an intense workout.
GRADIENTS: Veins and lymphatic vessels have one-way valves that prevent fluid backflow. Similarly, NormaTec Pulse Technology uses hold pressures to keep fluids from being forced in the wrong direction. Because of this enhancement, instead of tapering pressure off, the PULSE and PULSE PRO can deliver maximum pressure in every zone.
DISTAL RELEASE: Because extended static pressure can be detrimental to the body’s normal circulatory flow, Sequential Pulse Technology releases the hold pressures once they are no longer needed to prevent backflow. By releasing the hold pressure in each zone as soon as possible, each portion of the limb gains maximal rest time without a significant pause between compression cycles.