Microcurrent in professional sport – from the DFB to the Olympics and Ironman

The 2000 Sydney Olympics – the debut of the Clinic-Master MSG 1200 in professional sport. From the Bundesliga and the national football team to the Fed Cup, the Davis Cup and the Olympic Games in Brazil and London – Clinic-Master and LuXXaMed frequency-specific microcurrent are being used successfully in both professional and grassroots sport.

Whether for the treatment of injuries, to accelerate recovery or for ‘simple’ performance enhancement. In 2009, together with the company WESP (sports scientists), we were able to demonstrate the effectiveness of this ‘legal doping’ from the mains socket. Professional boxer Robert Stieglitz used the Vital-Master (Walitschek Medizintechnik GmbH – now LuXXaMed GmbH) daily for recovery. The results were unequivocal!

Microcurrents are not only very popular in sport in Europe; the therapy is also highly regarded in the USA. A US study specifically demonstrated the effectiveness of microcurrent in alleviating muscle soreness.

Microcurrent and sport

As has already been described in various ways, LuXXaMed microcurrent is capable of influencing cellular processes within the body. Schönfelder et al. (2017) demonstrated in an in vitro study using human cell cultures that a change in cell morphology can be observed. “This proves that the applied current – including the microcurrent from the HD2000+ – reaches the cells and is capable of influencing them.” (Schönfelder, Walker & Kenner, 2017, p. 11)

The increased synthesis of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) – one of the most energy-rich phosphates in the human body – can also contribute to an increase in athletic performance. The literature refers to an increase in ATP of up to 500 per cent. (CHENG et al., 1982)

A review of the use of LuXXaMed/Clinic-Master microcurrent and BCR therapy in sport over the last 20 years

In previous articles, we have already discussed the history of the LuXXaMed devices and their predecessors: the Clinic-Master MSG1200, Clinic-Master prof. and Vital-Master. Over this period, the devices have been used to great effect, particularly in professional sport.

The following extracts from personal letters of reference, articles and studies are intended to underpin the potential of LuXXaMed’s frequency-specific microcurrent therapy in professional and amateur sport:

1. 2002: Sports Director and Head Coach, German Wrestling Federation (Deutscher Ringer-Bund e.V.)

“I can confirm that your device has been used successfully at numerous championships and during the national team’s recovery camps. Our wrestlers and coaches rate the device as ‘extremely valuable’. A wide range of injuries were successfully treated at short notice to restore full performance capacity. The German world champion benefited directly from the use of the device during the World Championships.”

2. 2000 Reinhard Trageser (Physiotherapist, Therapist for the DRB) – Experience report: 2000 Sydney Olympics

“Whether for injuries or strain resulting from training or competition, the Clinic-Master proved its worth and was, in fact, always in use during my therapy sessions. This meant we were always able to treat any injuries or ailments that arose to the highest standard, ensuring we went into the competitions well prepared. I can also inform you that I have not only treated DRB athletes with the Clinic-Master, but have also treated a wide variety of injuries with great success whilst working at the German Team’s Medical Centre.”

3. 2000 Lower Saxony Olympic Training Centre – Experience report by DSB sports physiotherapist Heiner Otten

“[…] I would like to give you a brief report on my work with the Clinic-Master. Out of approximately 500 treatments I carried out using the Clinic-Master, we achieved positive results without exception.”

4. 2006 Men’s Bobsleigh Olympic Team in Turin

A personal thank-you card was sent expressing gratitude for the Clinic-Master’s performance and the results achieved.

5. 2009 – Ironman in South Africa – Testimonial from Diana Riesler (5th place, Ironman South Africa)

“[…] The fact that I’ve come through this wave of colds with just a slight sniffle is also down to my Vital-Master from BCR – many thanks for their support – which, as well as a brilliant recovery programme, also features one specifically for colds.”

6. 2000 – DFB letter of thanks

“…the Clinic-Master from Walitschek really helped us to get ailing and injured players back on track for the Olympics thanks to intensive and successful treatment with the device. But your device was also in use almost daily on site to quickly treat minor injuries.”

7. 2009 – Jule Aßmann, runner on her way to the World Youth Athletics Championships

“I’ve often struggled with patellar tendon problems in the past. The microcurrent from your device, which I now use every day, helps me to practise my sport without any discomfort. This brings me one step closer to my goal of competing at this year’s World Youth Athletics Championships.”

8 August 2009 – Dr Bauermeister

In 2009, Dr Wolfgang Bauermeister, in collaboration with the then national handball coach, Heiner Brand, was able to treat the national handball team using frequency-specific microcurrent therapy with the Clinic-Master Professional (Walitschek Medizintechnik GmbH – now LuXXaMed GmbH). “This treatment increases muscle strength and endurance – a legitimate method without doping. The recovery phase following intense physical exertion is significantly shortened. When the therapy is applied immediately after training or competition, athletes felt as fit as if they had not exerted themselves at all.” (Bauermeister, 2009)

9. 2011 The efficacy of microcurrent therapy on muscle soreness

Results Both groups were identical at the start of the study (p = 1.00). Twenty-four hours after training, there was a significant difference (p = 0.0005) between the treated leg (1.3 / 10 ± 1.0) and the untreated leg (5.2 / 10 ± 1.3). After 48 hours, the treated leg scored 1.2/10 ± 1.1 compared with 7.0/10 ± 1.1 for the untreated leg (p = 0.0005). After 72 hours, the treated group scored 0.7 / 10 ± 0.6 and the untreated group 4.0 / 10 ± 1.6 (p = 0.0005). (Curtis, Fallows, Morris & McMakin, 2010)

10. 2009 World Championship preparation using BCR therapy (Clinic-Master, Vital-Master)

In collaboration with sports scientists from WESP, we were able to help Robert Stieglitz secure the super-middleweight world title. The Regeneration and Stimulation therapy programmes of the Clinic-Master Professional and the Vital-Master showed a 15 per cent increase in performance at the aerobic threshold for professional boxer Robert Stieglitz. The *Bild* newspaper described him as a ‘sensational world champion’ and the *Handelsblatt* as ‘blazing fast’!

Bibliography

Bauermeister, W. (2009). Frequency-Specific Vibrations. Gesundheits Magazin, 60–62.

CHENG, N., van HOOF, H., BOCKX, E., HOOGMARTENS, M. J., MULIER, J. C., DIJCKER, F. J. de et al. (1982). The Effects of Electric Currents on ATP Generation, Protein Synthesis, and Membrane Transport in Rat Skin. Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research, &NA;(171), 264–272. https://doi.org/10.1097/00003086-198211000-00045

Curtis, D., Fallows, S., Morris, M. & McMakin, C. (2010). The efficacy of frequency-specific microcurrent therapy on delayed-onset muscle soreness. Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, 14(3), 272–279. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbmt.2010.01.009

Schönfelder, J., Walker, S. & Kenner, L. (2017). The effect of a new generation of devices on in vitro cell cultures. AP 3: The effect of microcurrent therapy on in vitro cell cultures (Fraunhofer FEP, ed.).