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Humans Dive into the Equine Spa

With the documented successes of the ECB Spa for its equine clients continually showing advancement, humans with leg injuries are now finding the results equally as effective on themselves.

In early 2005 an Irish ECB Equine Spa owner decided to offer spa treatments to humans as well as horses. The results were phenomenal, and within two months the spa was seeing up to 100 human visitors per week. The plunge was taken by sportsmen ranging from professional football players to local club runners, all of which were noticing a considerable improvement in their leg muscles. 

Nine months on, and results have seen the ECB Equine Spa installed into the National Welsh Rugby Union training ground just outside Cardiff. Although Wales didn’t have the best Six-Nation season due to old injuries and team politics, the National Conditioning Coach, Mark Bennett, BSc Hons, was impressed with the spa and the effect it had on his squad. “During the 2006 6-Nations Tournament we used the Equine Spa. It was used as an integral part of our training and recovery program. It is difficult to quantify the benefits the system provides but the facts are that the players requested to use it on a more regular basis as the tournament progressed. They felt it decreased the soreness and fatigue they felt post – game and training. It is a convenient system to use, easy to operate and maintain (especially in comparison to filling baths with bags of ice!) and offers a high degree of control in terms of the temperature of operation, the depth to which players require submersion and degree of agitation of the water. The spa has become a vital part of our preparation which we intend to use as part of our on-going preparation.”

The benefits of extreme cold water on athletes’ muscles have been acknowledged for many years. Players emerge their legs in icy water to treat injury as well as a regular preventative treatment. Normally cooling uses a rubbish bin filled with ice and cold water. Medical research shows that the water needs to be below 6 degrees to have the maximum effect. With the rubbish bin format, the temperature desired can be reached, but not maintained as the ice quickly melts with the athletes’ body temperature. The ECB Spa continuously maintains the saline water temperature between 2 – 4 degrees. 

Used for post-exercise stiffness and accelerated recovery rates, the cold water causes the leg blood vessels to contract. After treatment the vessels dilate which generates a blood rush, ridding the muscles of metabolites, a consequence of exercise.  By reducing these levels of metabolites such as lactic acid, the recovery time is greatly accelerated and the risk of muscle fatigue greatly reduced.

As more athletes and training professionals are becoming aware of this form of treatment, a greater number of clubs are installing the ECB Spa. The size of the spa allows a greater volume of athletes using it simultaneously. The Welsh Rugby Squad had eight of their team members in the spa comfortably at any one time. With a treatment period of 10 minutes a whole team can be in and out and back on the training ground within 30 minutes. The running costs and maintenance are minimal and only limited training is required.

For all spa enquiries please fill out the enquiry page linked below.

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