The Stick as a Self-Massage Tool

When it comes to massage therapy, there are many, many types (to name a few):

• Swedish Massage
• Tai Massage
• Aromatherapy Massage
• Hot Stone Massage
• Shiatsu
• Deep Tissue Massage
• Sports Massage

Click here to see the 10 Most Popular Types Of Massage Therapy – By About.com

Whatever your reason is for getting a massage is up to you.  I can tell you that The Stick is the the next best thing to human touch.  The big difference is, you do not need to leave the comfort of your own home to have a massage.  It breaks down trigger points (knots) and relieves tight, sore muscles in no time flat.

Now let’s talk about self-massage.  That is treating yourself with massage therapy techniques.  Reader’s Digest.com has a very popular article called Learn the Art of Self-Massage.  The article is filled with tips and tricks for taking care of yourself.  I actually counted over 12 different tools or devices that they suggest to give yourself a massage.  Honestly, all you really need 1 tool – The Stick.

Top Moments in Sport for 2008

Hello Sport Fans!!

I would like to share with you an opinion about the Top 5 Moments in Sport for 2008.  I find them thought provoking and informative.  Here they are according to The Sports Nut @ Peak Performance:

Rafa Nadal vs. Roger Federer- Wimbledon Final July 2008

Usain Bolt 100m and 200m 2008 Beijing Olympics!

Spain win 2008 European Championships

Michael Phelps 2008 Beijing Olympics!

New Zealand Rugby League World Cup Victory.

 

Please click here to see the entire article.

To add reference and context to the author of these top sporting moments, The Sports Nut is from the UK! 

 

Now it is my turn.  I agree with all the above and would like to add some other fantastic moments sport:

The Calgary Stampeders Winning The Grey Cup (CFL)

Simon Whitfield’s Finish @ The Olympics

The Boston Cletics Winning The NBA Title

Danica Patrick -  To become the first woman to win a major (NASCAR, Indy, Formula One) auto race.

Roger Clemens – Steroid Scandle

Kansas Beating Memphis in the NCAA Basketball Championship (Buzzer Beater with Overtime)

To add reference and context to the comments above, I live in Alberta, Canada!

 

Whatever your top sporting moments were in 2008, I hope 2009 will be just as exciting.

 

Your Health and Wellness During the Holidays

The holiday season is the perfect time to get back in touch with your health and wellness.  Some people see it as a season to let you guard down relax, eat too much and drink too much.  If you have the discipline, the holidays are a perfect time to become reacquainted with you body.  Take care of your sore, stiff muscles.

Most people I know have a significant amount of holidays around this time of year.  You can locate where the closest fitness facility is.  You can research power foods.  You can finally visit a fitness shop to think about purchasing that piece of home gym equipment you have been eyeing up.  Let’s face it, the prices after Christmas are fantastic.

The best thing about the holiday season is spending time with family and friends.  Get outside and in to nature as much as possible.  I just finished reading an article about how being outside can actually reduce stress levels and increase your mood.  The author explained it is due to being surrounded by squares and rectangles when you are inside.  Think about for a moment.  Most of our indoor environment has straight edges and is very confining.  Look around you!  Now look outside at a park or playground or a group of trees….. almost no squares and rectangles!  It almost makes sense to me.

Do something for yourself over the holiday season.  If you invest into yourself, so will others.  The same holds true when you invest in others, they will in turn invest in you.

Have a Merry Christmas,

Ken

The Stick – “Rehab Product of the Week”

Mike Reinold in his Plays of the Week Article has named The Stick as the Rehab Product of the Week.

Mike has created a blog for the discussion of current concepts and recent advances in orthopedics & sports medicine for physical therapists, athletic trainers, & other rehabilitation specialists.  His work looks fantastic.

Here is a short exert : “This week’s Rehab Product of the Week is the Massage Stick.  These little guys are excellent devices to perform deep manual massage techniques as a clinician as well as self-massage at home for the patient. ”

To read more, click here.

The Stick and Pets

Pets need massage too!!

How do I know?  They have muscles too!?!?

Honestly, the list of reasons why you would want to massage your pet are endless.  They are very similar to the list reasons why you should have a pet found here in the Top Ten Reasons to Have a Pet. 

When it comes to Pet Massage, the Pet Stick can help in the following ways:

• Massaging for, enjoyment and bonding.
• Massaging for performance.
• Massaging for therapy and rehabilitation.
• Massaging for relaxation and anxiety.

The Pet Stick is the perfect tool for those who love their pets or work with animals!  After all, pets get stiff sore muscles and injuries as well.

The Pet Stick has a comfortable handle, a wrist strap, a  spinning wheel wheel for pinpoint precision and 7 spindles that roll over your pets muscles.

The Stick and Horses

Yes, you read it correctly!  The Stick is awesome for our equine friends. 

Just like humans, horses react to exercise and develop soreness and trigger points like we do.  The only difference is they don’t complain about it as much as we do.   In fact, equine massage is big business!  Around where I live (Alberta, Canada), there are ranchers, rodeo enthusiasts, dressage participants and the like.  If they care about their horses, then they are having their horses being treated by chiropractors, massage therapists, naturopathics and even acupuncturists.

I still say that nothing will replace the human touch, but The Stick is the next best thing.  The best part, is you can work on your horse anytime, anywhere!  Because this amazing tool is non-motorized, you do not need a plug in, it can get wet and dirty and it is very easy to transport.

Due to the fact that horses are like athletes, we treat them the same way.  You simply roll The Stick over the horses muscles!!  I recommend using the Stiff Stick.

We recommend this Stick because it is stiff and longer for more leverage.  A horses muscles are quite dense!

 

What Can “The Stick” Do for Horses?  

By increasing circulation and breaking down Trigger Points (muscle knots), “The Stick” can: 

Improve Strength

Increase Flexibility 

Extend Endurance

Accelerate Recovery Time

Reduce Muscle Soreness, Stiffness & Pain

Prepare Muscles for Rigors of Activity

Flushes Muscles from the Rigors of Activity

 

 

Please visit here for more details!!

The Stick and Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia can be debilitating to say the least!!

Currently, I have spoken to many people about Fibromyalgia and have found that using The Stick can be extremely beneficial.  Here are some common FAQ’s about Fibromyalgia taken from RPI of Atlanta, the creators of The Stick and Intracell Technology.

Q: What is Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS)?

A: The condition can affect people in many different ways, however the major symptoms include diffuse muscular pain, ache, soreness and stiffness. Frequently waking during sleep and rising unrefreshed are companion symptoms. Memory loss and irritable bowel complaints are other symptoms that often accompany fibromyalgia syndrome.

Q: Is FMS difficult to diagnose?

A: Since the official criteria for diagnosis were established in 1990, it is said that FMS can be identified with an 88% accuracy.

Q: How does the healthcare practitioner diagnose FMS?

A: By performing a thorough history and examination. The diagnosis of FMS does not rely on laboratory findings or radiographic studies, but on a physical examination that must demonstrate diagnostic pain in at least 11 of 18 characteristic tender point sites. The tender point locations are actually 9 on each side of the body to total 18. The patient history must document widespread pain of at least 3 months duration. Widespread refers to right and left side of the body, above and below the waist, including the anterior and posterior axial skeleton.

Q: What is meant by diagnostic pain?

A: As the examiner presses or palpates the tender point site, diagnostic pain will occur with roughly 4 kilograms of pressure. If you press down with your thumb until you notice a blanching of your nail, then you have applied roughly 4 kilograms of pressure. This is known as the “Yunus Rule of Thumb”, from Muhammad Yunus, MD who published the first controlled study on Fibromyalgia in 1981.

Q: Are tender points and trigger points the same thing?

A: A safe and easy way to differentiate between the two is by pain patterns. Remember, the pain of fibromyalgia syndrome is widespread, hence the tender points will also be widespread. Trigger point pain is found in a condition known as myofascial pain syndrome which may be highly localized or regional. An active trigger point will also refer pain when deeply palpated, while a tender point is more likely to just cause more pain at the local site. Also, the prognosis for trigger points is more favorable than tender points.

Q: Do muscle spasms occur in Fibromyalgia Syndrome?

A: When examining muscles of the FMS patient they often feel tight and like a rope that is twisted and knotted. These shortened muscles and twisted fascia biomechanically compromise blood supply to the area. Remember that fascia has a tensile strength of 2000 pounds per square inch; it’s no wonder noncompliant muscles feel so tight when they are palpated. Without a copious blood supply muscles can not relax enough to recover, therefore the FMS patient exhibits a persistent low energy level regardless of their dietary habits. Remember it takes as much energy to relax a muscle as it does to work a muscle.

Q: What does noncompliant muscle mean to the FMS patient?

A: In order to understand the role of noncompliant or unhealthy muscle it is necessary to discuss complaint or healthy muscle. Compliant muscle can be stretched, shortened, twisted or compressed without restriction or pain. It exhibits good circulation, flexibility, strength and endurance. On the other hand non-compliant tissue is stiff, tender and sore with a feeling of painful knots or tight bands in the muscle. Noncompliant muscle also exhibits poor circulation, reduced flexibility, weakness and it easily fatigues. It is susceptible to injury in the same way a worn tire invites a blowout. Remember, the way we diagnose the FMS patient is by compressing noncompliant muscle at characteristic spots.

Q: Does therapeutic massage or myofascial release help the FMS patient?

A: Frequent use of myofascial release or therapeutic massage is the secret to the management of symptoms. The Intracell Stick allows the FMS patient to self-manage symptoms, between clinic visits, with a high degree of accuracy. Waiting for an appointment to get help, often triggers an unnecessary flare up for the patient.

Q: Can Fibromyalgia Syndrome be cured?

A: At present there is no cure for the syndrome. Dr. Stuart Silverman is quoted as saying, “Tricyclic drugs can be used to improve the quality of sleep or reduce pain sensitivity, but they are only mildly effective in alleviating the symptoms.” On the brighter side, Dr. Andrew Bonci, Professor, Department of Diagnoses at Cleveland College states,” advances in exercise science and manual medicine are evolving practical and promising solutions for the fibromyalgia patient.”

Q: How does the healthcare practitioner attract FMS patients to his or her office?

A: One of the best ways is to contact a local support group and request to speak at one of the meetings. If you don’t speak, go listen . . . you can learn a great deal about this condition from the ones who have it.

A great resource:

I have also found a fantastic resource called the Fibromyalgia Journal that has everything you want to know about the syndrome.

In particular, I was most interested in the information concerning myofascial release and trigger points.  Here is a quick exert:

“The goal of myofascial release is to release fascial restrictions and allow the layers to move freely, thus allowing the muscles to shorten as well as to lengthen, as they should in a healthy human body.” – To read more click HERE.

Here is another great article I found – Fibromyalgia Syndrome & Trigger Points . 

To summarize, The Stick is an excellent tool for for people who suffer from Fibromyalgia.  This is because The Stick has the ability to break down trigger points and help to heal myofascia by increasing circulation and relieving pain.

 

Purchasing A Stick

Purchasing a Stick is super easy!!

If you would like to order directly from Zealous Vitality, then just click here to PLACE AN ORDER.  We will get you a Stick in a hurry.

We now have many venues and stores to purchase Sticks at. Please visit this page: http://zealousvitality.ca/content/view/22/49/ to get more information.

Please do not hesitate to contact us @ Ken@ZealousVitality.ca

 

Have a great day!