Rodgers on a sack and recovering the ball in the end zone for a 10

RIO DE JANEIRO -- They are the purple circles that set social media on fire Sunday night, the circular bruises on Michael Phelps right shoulder that left television viewers around the world wondering if the most decorated Olympian of all-time had contracted some rare skin disease, been attacked by an octopus, or perhaps was part-Dalmatian.The answer, of course, was none of the above. The bruises were the result of a form of cupping therapy Phelps had endured Sunday morning to treat some shoulder discomfort that set in after waiting in line for 40 minutes at the Olympic Village wearing a backpack. A day later, the mysterious circles became an international inquisition. Following Phelps prelim swim in the 200 butterfly on Monday, the first question a reporter asked a perplexed Phelps was about cupping.Ive done this for a while, he said. I asked for a little cupping yesterday and [trainer Keenan Robinson] hit me pretty hard with one and it left a couple bruises.Robinson, USA Swimmings director of high performance, was equally entertained Monday, suggesting that all the attention over the $30 cups was missing the bigger picture of all that goes into preparing Phelps and other athletes to compete at their highest levels.Its like asking a chef about his garnish when youre missing the main meal, Robinson said. Youve got this beautiful steak and vegetable medley -- thats what youre paying $75 for. Not the garnish. But this recovery modality shows the blemishes when he walks around, so people ask.The practice of Chinese cupping has been around for more than 2,000 years. But Robinson and USA Swimming chiropractor Kevin Rindal said that the form of therapy used on Phelps is somewhat different. Its essentially the opposite of a massage, using the suction from perfectly circular cups to manipulate and help separate the various layers of fascia and muscle beneath the skin. The end result is decreased discomfort and an increase in range of motion.Think of us as an Indy Car pit crew, Rindal said, looking at the structure and alignment of the vehicle to see if there is any kind of drag or anything. And if you think of how close these racers are, a little bit of restriction adds up in each stroke and can prevent a full reach. Its basically the fine-tuning of the tissue.Robinson, Phelps longtime trainer, said he has been using the therapy on Phelps since the fall of 2014. He brought the idea to the swimmer as a way to help the then-29-year-old recover from his two-a-day training sessions.Mike is probably the best at telling you whats voodoo and whats actually working, Robinson said. He was like, OK Keen-dog, what are you bringing me this time? But then hell do it and instantaneously hell tell you its hokey-pokey business or if its kind of effective.Phelps took to the treatment and, according to Robinson, has used it about twice a week since. Sometimes it can leave dark red bruises, other times there is no mark at all. The visibility of the bruising or lack thereof has no impact on whether or not the sometimes painful therapy has been effective. Since Phelps began using the treatment several other athletes have followed suit, including Dana Vollmer, who has already won two medals in Rio 17 months after giving birth.I know it looks weird but it really helps with blood flow, helps pull swelling out of different areas, she said. It works great for a lot of us.Added U.S. teammate Cody Miller: Its superficial bruising. Its not real bruising. Your muscle tissue isnt torn up in there. Its pulling blood into a certain area where tension has built. Its great. My fiancee does it to me in training.Robinson said that the training staff is constantly evaluating all the U.S. swimmers and the tension, stress and range of motion in their joints. Everything from massages to stretching to ice baths to the Graston technique, a form of therapy that uses instruments to massage the skin, can be used to treat inflammation or increase range of motion.We dont want people banged up, he said. We dont want broken products here at the Games.Not everyone agrees the cupping treatment even works. As is often the case with any type of alternative therapy, it takes just a few minutes online to find a detractor who doesnt believe there is a correlation between the treatment and athletic success. Robinson suggests the naysayers are wrong.Im not just going to throw a stick of butter on him and say, Well, I read that Usain Bolt or whoever is doing this, Robinson said. Im going to have an educated approach to it. You can stand on either side of the spectrum that it doesnt work. But we know the science says it is not detrimental and in some cases can really help out.In other words, its the latest in a long line of high-performance therapy fads that include everything from electrotherapy and cryotherapy (ice baths) to Kinesio tape and acupuncture needles. But this one has now been endorsed by the most decorated Olympian of all-time, after one of the most impressive races of his career.Its going to blow-up now, Robinson said. Actually, it just did. Vapormax Homme Pas Cher . The Canadian squad, skipped by Jennifer Jones of Winnipeg, got on the board first with two in the second end, and followed that with two more apiece in the fourth and sixth ends. Vapormax Off White France . If ever they start actually putting pictures beside words in the dictionary, the Blue Jays left-handers mug will appear beside “Consistency. http://www.vapormaxsolde.fr/ . By having more great seasons. Manning was the only unanimous choice for the 2013 Associated Press NFL All-Pro team Friday. Nike Vapormax Pas Cher Zalando . Argentina winger Ezequiel Lavezzi and France midfielder Blaise Matuidi scored, with star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic setting up both despite having a poor game by his high standards. Forward Eduardo gave Ajaccio the lead in the sixth minute after being set up by right winger Benjamin Andre, and the Corsican side looked comfortable in the first half, with the lively Johan Cavalli causing problems with his probing runs from midfield. Vapormax Flyknit Noir 2020 . After the whistle, Thornton skated the length of the ice, pulled Orpik to the ice from behind and punched him in the face several times. GREEN BAY, Wis. -- The Chicago Bears anemic offense took another hit on Thursday night.The Bears are down to third-stringer Matt Barkley at quarterback after Brian Hoyer broke his left arm in the second quarter of a 26-10 loss to the Green Bay Packers.Well, when you lose your starting quarterback it can be disruptive. Its not an excuse, its just a reality, coach John Fox said.The Bears were already struggling to score points with Hoyer. He was playing admirably in place of injured starter Jay Cutler, though Chicago had trouble turning the yards into points.They were 31st in the league in scoring (16.8 points) coming into the night.Their best offense on Thursday came from rookie linebacker Leonard Floyd.He scored the Bears only touchdown after stripping Aaron Rodgers on a sack and recovering the ball in the end zone for a 10-6 lead early in the third quarter.But the offense never got closer than the Green Bay 42 on their four second-half drives. Their last two possessions ended with interceptions.I dont think anybodys proud of what weve done sso far, tight end Zach Miller said.dddddddddddd What are we 1-6? One-and-6 is not good.Cutler has been out since Week 2 with a right thumb injury. Miller was the emergency quarterback if Barkley got hurt.Hoyer was 4 of 11 for 49 yards before getting hurt. Barkley finished 6 of 15 for 81 yards.Barkley is just learning the offense after getting called up from the practice squad after Cutler got hurt.Its just like learning a new language. You can picture it in your mind what its supposed to be, but having to spit it out into a fluid sentence just takes reps, Barkley said.The good news for the Bears is that they now have 10 days until their next game, on Oct. 31 against Minnesota. Maybe theyll have Cutler by then, too.When hes cleared medically, well have him out there, Fox said. When exactly thats going to be, I cant answer that. But hes getting closer.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '