Born on the occasion of the 2008 Beijing Olympics and ratified by the recent successes of the Italian team at the “2018 WUXI World Championships”, the partnership between ASAlaser and the Federazione Italiana Scherma (FIS) – Italian Fencing Association – looks to the future in view of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Hilterapia® and MLS® Laser Therapy will be at the side of the FIS doctors and physiotherapists, supporting them in the athletes’ preparation for the competitions and their recovery during the fencing events in case of painful issues which may affect their sports performances.
A valuable additional benefit as is confirmed by Antonio Fiore, FIS medical staff coordinator, who recalls how “the effectiveness of the ASAlaser therapy and the reliability of the devices enabled us to best manage a broad range of clinical problems of our leading athletes”.
Q. The collaboration with ASAlaser, which began “institutionally” in conjunction with the Beijing Olympics, celebrated ten years in 2018. Hilterapia® was at your side initially. What are its strengths in terms of usefulness and purpose for your athletes?
A. Based on my first-hand experience, Hilterapia® has proved to be extremely effective in dealing with a vast range of issues in the musculoskeletal system, particularly as concerns certain acute traumas and, above all, insertional tendinopathies, which are very frequent in fencers and, in general, in sportspeople.
Q. When is it usually applied: during preparation or after the competition?
A. We use it a great deal during the preparation phase, especially during collective workouts, when fencers undergo all treatments required to cure their problems, particularly those caused by overuse, typical of professional athletes. After the competition, Hilterapia® is actually indispensable to manage the injuries which can always occur during these events.
Q. In 2016, MLS® Laser Therapy joined Hilterapia® as one of your “teammates”: what led you to adopting this therapeutic solution too for your daily practice?
A. MLS® Laser Therapy features a patented impulse which acts specifically in increasing anti-inflammatory proteins, favouring a moderate vasodilation useful for reabsorbing the oedema and thus reducing pain. In addition, it also acts on the proteins which govern muscle activity. This is why we employ it in all training or competition situations which have these clinical elements.
Q. When is it decisive?
A. It is particularly effective on recent traumas with a high pain component and an evident oedema. This is confirmed by the case of a famous fencer of ours who had suffered a wrist trauma to his sword arm during an individual competition in a recent World Championship. The area was swollen and painful, but thanks to treatment with MLS®, he managed to recover for the team event, where our national team won a medal.
Q. Hilterapia® + MLS®: do you use them combined?
A. In view of the fact that MLS® Laser Therapy is very effective in treating Trigger points and acute and subacute phases of traumas, whilst Hilterapia® is particularly useful for treating chronic issues, we do use them combined sometimes. During training and competitions, we try to implement the most appropriate treatment strategy which is almost always based on a shrewd synergy between different types of therapy, from pharmacological ones to physical ones, and last but not least, manual ones.
Q. 2008-2018, time to take stock. During these 10 years, have Hilterapia® and MLS® contributed to assisting your activity as well as the athletes’ performances?
A. There’s no doubt about giving a positive answer. The two therapies perfectly meet the requirements of a medical staff which is devoted to assisting high-level professional athletes. The devices are exceedingly reliable and the athletes realise that they can take advantage of a modern treatment method, which is highly effective and super professional.
