Firefly is a “sports recovery device for serious athletes across all sports.” It is a small battery powered device that an athlete wares behind the knee after strenuous activity. The idea is to increase the blood circulation to your legs to remove the metabolic waste left by exercise, helping your muscles recover faster and taking care of any stiffness in the legs.
The Firefly device uses OnPulse neuromuscular electrostimulation technology to trigger the body’s built-in mechanisms by delivering electrical impulses to a nerve just below the knee called the common peroneal nerve.
That’s the technical stuff out the way with. I tried out the Firefly on day two of a five day snowboarding trip to Whistler, B.C. I was a little fatigued after the first day but held out until the second to try to test the true benefits of the device. Once back to the chalet, I de-kitted, showered and found a spot on the couch in front of the T.V. My calves were sore and starting to tense up a little bit so I thought this was the time to it out.
I took the devices out of there little jiffy bag along with its velcro straps that helps hold it in place, and peeled of the backs to reveal a very sticky, blue/green gel, and proceeded to stick them to my legs, just under my knee towards the outer-side. I then wrapped the black straps around the devices. After about an hour of thinking it wasn’t doing much…Then I turned it on.
The Firefly reminds me a little of the electric ab stimulators you see advertised on late/early T.V. It sends a small electric shock through your muscle, I’m saying that it has the same effect but I think there is a similar science behind it. I wore the Firefly for about 4-5 hours, I even went to bed with it on, it wasn’t painful or irritating at all. Once the power was failing I took it off. In the morning my carves were loose and relaxed, with no stiffness to be felt anywhere in my legs.
Now would I go out and buy them? One pack of Firefly (with a 2 devices in) costs £29.00, a pack of 4 is £99.00. So for a general ‘I’ve been out on the mountain for a day or so’, no I wouldn’t. They did definitely help my recovery but I definitely could of carried on without them without too much difficulty. However, if I was going backcounty boarding that required me to hike or if I was to play my first game of football of the season or run a half/full marathon, where I am going to experience Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS), then these devices are worth every penny. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to test the Firefly under these conditions yet because of a ‘hyper extended’ knee injury I picked up in football practice, so an update of the device may well be written in the future.
To get some more information about the Firefly check out their website www.fireflyrecovery.com. I think it’s a very clever device and really great piece of sports science.
