Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) occurs when exercise places unaccustomed load on muscles causing microscopic tears in the muscle fibres.

DOMS typically begins 12-24 hours after exercise and can be painful for up to 72 hours. Characteristics of DOMS include local muscle pain, swelling, stiffness and a temporary reduction of strength in the affected muscles. Active recovery aids in reducing the effect of DOMS.

Adaptation is the process where the body responds to the stress of a new activity making it easier to perform the next time. Without sufficient recovery, the body will not be able to adapt to the stress of training and performance will not improve.

Planning an effective recovery strategy into training programmes allows athletes to maximise their training results. Insufficient recovery can be detrimental to achieving training goals and may lead to injury. Fatigue is the most common cause of injury, therefore managing your fatigue effectively reduces your risk of injury.

The firefly™ device is proven not to be detrimental to training adaptation unlike other recovery methods such as ice baths and anti-inflamatory drugs which have been shown to dampen the training stimulus response.