ABSTRACT
Congested competitive playing and training schedules associated with elite rugby dictate that athletes often utilize strategies in the hope of encouraging as rapid and complete a recovery as possible. Despite the prevalence of such recovery strategies, the scientific evidence supporting their use is often equivocal. This chapter presents available information on the efficacy and mechanisms of effect of several commonly used strategies in rugby, including cryotherapy, compression garments, massage, stretching, active recovery and sleep. Recommendations for the use of such strategies in rugby players, both on an acute and chronic basis, are also presented.
