WHAT IS ECP THERAPHY

Benefits of ECP Therapy for Wellness

In clinical studies, ECP has been shown to relieve angina symptoms,  such as chest pain and shortness of breath. Patients have experienced improvement in exercise duration as well.² Studies have also shown that ECP may help:

Overall, patients report an improved quality of life with ECP and studies have shown that the benefits may last about 2-3 years. Best of all, you may repeat the therapy as needed. Talk to your physician about the timing of therapy sessions.

Chest pain? Shortness of breath? Tiredness?
The problem could be poor blood flow

Our heart and circulatory system are designed to transport oxygen and nutrients to every cell in the body, as well as filter out waste and carbon dioxide. Good blood flow is essential to good health, and has a positive effect on your mind and body.

Poor blood circulation greatly increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). This occurs when plaque builds up in the arteries. As plaque builds up, it blocks and reduces the amount of blood flowing through.

In severe cases, plaque can block entire blood vessels. When blockage happens in the vessels supplying blood to the heart muscle or brain, it can lead to a heart attack and a stroke respectively.

What is ECP Therapy and
how does it enhance blood flow?

ECP Therapy is a safe and non-invasive process that increases blood circulation and is used for the treatment of chronic stable angina. It enhances blood flow by pushing blood from the lower body toward the heart.

Pressure cuffs are wrapped around your lower body while you lay comfortably. These cuffs inflate when your heart is at rest and deflate right before your heart pumps. Due to the precise synchronisation with your heartbeat, ECP therapy has been described as a 'second heart' that allows your heart to perform with less effort.

The therapy is soothing and relaxing, much like a lower body massage. Many people listen to music, watch TV or simply rest during a therapy session.

External counterpulsation (ECP), an electrocardiogram-led sequential compression of lower limbs, has been recently proposed for sports recovery, but research is scant. This study examined the effects of an ECP session upon neuromuscular function (vertical jump and torque/velocity characteristics), biochemical responses (creatine kinase, cortisol, testosterone, alpha-amylase and immunoglobulin-A), and muscle soreness (visual analogue scale) following high-intensity exercise. Twenty-one male team sport athletes (age: 21.6 ± 3.4 yrs; height: 182.7 ± 7.3 cm; body mass: 82.7 ± 9.3 kg) recovered from the fatiguing exercise using either ECP or rest. Data collection was conducted at three separate time points: upon arrival (Pre), post-recovery (Post), and 24 h post-recovery (24hPost). Significant main effects for time were observed for increased torque/velocity slope and for decreased isometric extension peak torque (p < 0.001). Significant main effects for time were observed for increased creatine kinase, testosterone, alphaamylase, and muscle soreness (all p < 0.001). Significant interaction effects were observed at post-testing following ECP: Cortisol release and the related decline in testosterone/cortisol ratio were attenuated, and immunoglobulin-A was increased following ECP in comparison to the control (all p < 0.05). Following high-intensity exercise, ECP has potentially beneficial effects upon biomarkers of recovery, without affecting the neuromuscular function.