Firefly has become a multi-purpose intervention for us at the University of Cincinnati. It’s versatility, portability and simplicity allow us to use it within our full clinical creativity. I think arguably the best capability of the FireFly is that it allows us to continue our intended treatment beyond your normal operating environment within your sports medicine facility. Many modalities and treatment interventions need to happen within the clinic for one reason or another (i.e. power/electricity needs, safety, cost of the device/unit, etc.). Having the ability to continue your care when you cannot, is invaluable. Especially in those situations where you need to make continuous positive progression for your athlete’s recovery or injury status. Time matters in our industry. Time is our best friend.

We routinely use FireFly for our long distance travel. With being a member in the Big 12 Conference, we often travel multiple time zones with flights that can exceed 3+ hours. Travel in itself is a stressor to the human body, especially if traveling to a different time zone. We utilize the FireFly on those trips to ensure that our athletes are arriving to our destination city as fresh and recovered as possible. And with a 30 hour battery life, we can also jump start the recovery process for the next week on the return flight, and to assist with recovery from that day’s competition.

Another way we have started to implement FireFly is immediately post-injury. We have had multiple situations where we’ve had acute ankle sprains during a game and immediately following, where we will apply a FireFly for the athlete to wear for the remainder of the day/evening, and even sleep with it on at a low intensity. Again, if we can take advantage of the FireFly’s ability to promote and increase blood flow, when we as clinicians cannot, it is a no-brainer. It has become a gold-standard of treatment in Cincinnati.

As the saying goes, “Recover Faster. Train Harder”. That is the name of the game in elite athletics. And FireFly helps you achieve this.

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Aaron Himmler, AT, MS

Senior Associate Athletic Director, Sports Medicine

Head Football Athletic Trainer

University of Cincinnati

February 11, 2024
Tags: Football