News and Articles
Updated information on health, science, and well-being.
The importance of hydration in muscle recovery
Water makes up approximately 70% of muscle tissue. Discover how a proper hydration strategy can reduce your recovery times and prevent serious joint injuries.
Hydration is often the most underestimated aspect of sports and clinical recovery. Water is essential for the transport of nutrients into muscle cells and for the elimination of metabolic waste produced during exertion, such as lactic acid.
A dehydration of just 2% of body weight can cause a significant drop in performance, as well as an increased risk of cramps, micro-tears in muscle fibers, and chronic fatigue. During the rehabilitation process of an injury, adequate blood flow is crucial; blood thickened by a lack of fluids slows the delivery of oxygen and growth factors to the affected area.
Our recent studies at the OmicaHealth clinic show that patients who follow a standardized hydration protocol (adjusted to their weight, sweat rate, and climate) are medically discharged 15% faster. We recommend not only consuming water but also maintaining adequate electrolyte balance through the consumption of sodium, potassium, and magnesium, especially after intense sessions or shock therapies.
Diathermy vs Shockwaves: Which to choose?
We compare the two most cutting-edge technologies in tissue regeneration. Learn the indications of each for tendinopathies, muscle tears, or chronic pain.
In the last decade, technology applied to physiotherapy has taken giant leaps. Two of the most requested tools at OmicaHealth are diathermy (or radiofrequency) and focal shockwaves. But when do we use one and when the other?
Diathermy produces deep heating of tissues through high-frequency currents. It is ideal for acute and subacute processes, muscle pain, recent inflammation, and for accelerating cellular metabolism without generating pain during application. It provides almost immediate relief and is excellent for relaxing severe muscle spasms.
On the other hand, Focal Shockwaves are high-energy acoustic waves that generate controlled microtrauma in the target tissue. This method is the gold standard for chronic pathologies, such as calcifications in tendons, stubborn tendinopathies (plantar fasciitis, epicondylitis), or delayed bone consolidation. Although the treatment can be slightly uncomfortable, its effectiveness in reactivating a stalled healing process is unparalleled. In many cases, we combine both therapies sequentially for optimal results.
Managing post-injury anxiety in athletes
The psychological impact of a severe injury can be more limiting than the physical one. Cognitive strategies to face rehabilitation without losing motivation.
A severe injury, such as an anterior cruciate ligament tear, not only tears the athlete's physical tissue but often their identity and self-confidence as well. The initial phase of the injury is usually accompanied by shock, denial, and finally, anxiety about the uncertainty of the sports return.
Fear of relapse (kinesiophobia) is one of the biggest obstacles in the final stages of recovery. An athlete may have medical clearance, but their brain continues to protect the area, altering biomechanics and, paradoxically, increasing the risk of suffering a new injury in another compensatory structure.
In our psychology department, we work with visualization, cognitive restructuring, and gradual exposure. Teaching the patient to focus on small daily rehabilitation goals rather than solely fixating on the return-to-competition date reduces anxiety dramatically. Pain is a cerebral processing, and a calm and confident brain processes pain in a much less threatening way.
Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) Therapy
Everything you need to know about regenerative medicine. How your own blood can heal damaged joints and avoid surgeries.
Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) has become a cornerstone of regenerative medicine in modern traumatology. It involves extracting a small amount of the patient's blood, centrifuging it to concentrate platelets and growth factors, and injecting it under ultrasound guidance into the injured area.
Platelets naturally release proteins that initiate the cellular repair cascade, attract stem cells, and promote the formation of new blood vessels (angiogenesis). At OmicaHealth we apply it with great success in mild-moderate knee osteoarthritis, patellar chondromalacia, and chronic tendinopathies (such as Achilles or patellar tendon).
One of its greatest advantages is safety: as it is autologous tissue (from the patient themselves), there is no risk of rejection or allergies. Although it is not magic and results take between 3 and 6 weeks to manifest as the tissue regenerates, it has saved hundreds of our patients from invasive surgical interventions and prolonged downtime.
The impact of the microbiome on chronic fatigue
The gut-brain connection is the key to energy levels. Discover how intestinal dysbiosis could be sabotaging your daily performance.
For years, the cause of idiopathic fatigue and chronic tiredness was sought exclusively in hormonal alterations or vitamin deficiencies. Today, science points to the gut. The microbiome—the vast community of bacteria inhabiting our digestive tract—is an endocrine and metabolic organ in itself.
An alteration in this bacterial balance, known as intestinal dysbiosis, causes intestinal permeability. This allows endotoxins to pass into the bloodstream, triggering low-grade systemic inflammation. The immune system spends a huge amount of energy fighting this silent inflammation, which the patient perceives as crushing fatigue or "brain fog".
Through stool microbiota analysis, we can identify deficiencies of key strains producing short-chain fatty acids (such as butyrate). An anti-inflammatory nutritional protocol, the temporary removal of irritating foods, and supplementation with specific probiotics and prebiotics achieve, in a matter of months, the reversal of chronic fatigue patterns that had dragged on for years.
Importance of Global Postural Re-education
Correcting posture is not just an aesthetic issue. It is fundamental to prevent herniated discs, headaches, and respiratory problems.
The posture we adopt in front of the computer or looking at a mobile phone (the famous "text neck") subjects the cervical spine to loads equivalent to constantly carrying more than 20 kilos. This defective biomechanical adaptation is the origin of 80% of non-specific back pain.
Global Postural Re-education (GPR) is a gentle, progressive, and active method. We do not treat isolated body parts, but entire muscle chains. If you have shoulder pain, the mechanical origin may be in a shortening of the inspiratory chain or a pelvic block. Everything is connected through the fasciae.
In our GPR sessions, the patient adopts progressive stretching postures under the guidance of the therapist, accompanied by specific diaphragmatic breathing. The result is not only the elimination of pain, but a profound change in body awareness that prevents future relapses, even improving lung capacity and digestion by releasing the diaphragm.