Here are some more comments I found on a Runner’s World forum about The Stick.

The summary of the main question was:  What do you use for sore muscles!  The Stick? Active-Response-Therapy(self-massage)or do you get regular massages?

“Own and use the Stick often.  Have gotten about 5 massages in my lifetime but still a little weirded out about it.  Massage does work! ”

“All of the above! I’ve been getting ART (active release technique) done since February, try to get a sports massage once per month (my masseuse is also a runner) and have the stick.”

 ”I used The Stick for the first time in a year yesterday! Plus a little self massage. It definitely helped my soreness. I get maybe 1-2 massages per year. I’d get more if it were in the budget. It seems I’ve finally kicked my piriformis issue and with my ankle feeling better I may be able to avoid the chiropractor for ART.”

“I use the stick, foam roll, massage… you name it. It blows my mind that I get injured when I’m so diligent about stretching and foam rolling after runs.”

“I use the foam roller 6-7 days a week and the Stick on occasion.  I have went to my sports massage therapist around 8 times in the past 6 months for trigger point therapy.  If it wasn’t $85/hour I would see her every other week because my legs feel GREAT walking out of the place.”

“ I have and use the Stick, foam roller, frozen water bottles for ice massage, a couple ART sessions.  PT is just down the hall from me so I sneak in there when I need to and have them work on me if needed with ultrasound, ice massage, manipulation.”

“For sore muscles I do NSAIDS every once in a while after a tough run.  I have the stick and a foam roller, but haven’t used them since the hammie started quieting down.  Can’t justify massage while I’m unemployed.”

“I love massages but don’t get them often enough.”

“foam roller, the stick, stretching, pt exercises. I’ve done sport massage in the past which is very helpful, though painful at the time. ”

“ I use the stick and a tennis ball. I love getting massages but I do feel a little weird about someone else working for my relaxation.”

“What don’t I do?!  use the stick regularly- on running and non-running days; foam roll daily; PT (deep tissue massage and then some) once a week; tennis ball self-massage daily; BF has learned how to give deep tissue massage/do myofascial release and lately that’s 1-3x/week.  Ice, TENS machine, stretching/yoga are regulars also.  Used to get ART but haven’t done that since July.  Wish I could get regular massages but $$ limits that.”

“I stick myself on a regular basis…when I ran on a regular basis. oh, and ice baths for hard runs or LR’s 15+, definitely.”

Summary:  The Stick is very popular with runners!!

Members of Zealous Vitality Inc. can get any product with FREE SHIPPING for the next 15 days!!

There are two catches. Your shipping address must be in Canada, but not in BC.  The other catch is to provide us with a testimonial or a couple of tips about using The Stick.  Your testimonial or tips can be added to the purchase order form under the customer notes section when you submit your order.

The Stick and specialty products make excellent gifts!  The best thing is people will never guess what it is when you wrap a Stick up!

Happy Holidays!!!

In just a day or so, I will be providing details on how you can get The Stick with Free Shipping!!  There will be some fine details, but check back soon.

I will give you a hint:  Membership has it’s privileges @ Zealous Vitality Inc.

A couple of weeks ago, I had a display booth at a Diabetic forum in Calgary, Alberta.  There were vendors from all over the place offering information and products to those who have diabetes or are interested in learning more about diabetes. 

I was there with The Stick and related specialty products.  You may be wondering why diabetics would be interested in massage products and devices?   As you may or may not know there are 2 types of diabetes – type 1 and type 2.  Basically type 1 diabetics rely on insulin therapy to control their blood sugar levels.  Type 1 is also known as Juvenile Diabetes.  Type 2 diabetes is mostly controlled by diet and exercise as well as insulin therapy.  I knew there would be more type 2 people than type 1 people because my wife (who has type 1) has been to many of these forums and she mentioned to me that the clientele at the forum would be primarily type 2 diabetics.  Typically, type 2 diabetics have challenges with circulation and nerve pain.  The Stick is the perfect device to increase circulation and help people live a more comfortable life.  As far as nerve pain goes, The Stick can help with that too by allowing the muscles that surround the nerves to become less restricting.  With more blood flow, comes more compliant muscles.  With more compliant muscles, people should feel better!  Nerve pain can also be alleviated by massage therapy.  Again, The Stick is great for massage therapy.

It turns out that the people at the forum loved the idea that they could massage their own muscles in the comfort of their own homes.  They also loved the fact that they did not have to go to the ground to use The Stick or plug it in.  Most people who purchased a Stick liked the Travel Stick or Marathon Stick.  They liked that those sticks offered some flexibility are were not overly rigid. 

Travel Stick

Marathon Stick

People with diabetes can have complications with circulation and nerve pain specifically in their feet.  As a result, people were thrilled to learn that FootWheel could possibly help them.  In fact, by the end of the day, people walked away with more FootWheels than Sticks.  That is right, people purchased more FootWheels than Sticks!!

FootWheel

I am thrilled to be offering products that have so many applications!!

I got a tip from one of my professional people who make The Stick available for his clients in Edmonton, Alberta that The Stick is in this months issue of Men’s Health magazine.

You can see the information about The Stick on page 96 of November, 2009.  It is at the bottom of the page where there is tips on making sure you have a proper warm-up.  Men’s Health suggest that before your work-out or work on flexibility that you roll the device up and down your muscles for 20 seconds increasing the pressure of each pass.

The Stick has also been featured in many other publications.  Click here to find out more!!

Here is another blog post (with comments) that talk about The Stick.  The blog belongs to chicrunner!  Here is a little about her:

“I reside in a lovely beach town in Southern California. Running has become a passion of mine and I love to share life stories, running stories and pictures on my blog. I’m an ex high school cross-country/track/soccer player and ex coach for a small high school program where I coached track and cross country. That is how I fell back in love with racing and running. I recently became a college graduate and now I’m working, and loving it, in the advertising world as an account coordinator.”

Here is what her readers had to say about The Stick (Testimonials):

25 Responses to “The Stick…”

1. *aron* said

   December 19, 2008 at 5:56 pm LOVE the stick… definitely a good present for runners

2. With Love from New Orleans said

   December 19, 2008 at 6:00 pm Aww I am here if you need a gchat… feel better!!! It is Friday!! We <3 you!!

   XO

3. The Happy Runner said

   December 19, 2008 at 6:18 pm The stick is THE BEST! I love it.

4. Julianne said

   December 19, 2008 at 6:32 pm I got the Stick for my brother in law last year for Xmas (he runs ultras and does Ironmans) and he LOVED it. I think I need one for myself!

5. Denise said

   December 19, 2008 at 6:38 pm Love the stick! Another great idea!

6. joyRuN said

   December 19, 2008 at 6:51 pm I should get the stick for the portability. It’s not like I can jump on the foam roller at work or in the car.

   Good luck with the drama. This time of year seems to heighten that

7. Steve Stenzel said

   December 19, 2008 at 7:09 pm Yeah, I think I need to get a stick…

8. Kelly said

   December 19, 2008 at 8:00 pm I’m not sure what that is… but I don’t think I like it.

9. Pink Pearls &amp; Muddy Sneakers said

   December 19, 2008 at 8:17 pm I hope things start looking up soon

10. X-Country2 said

    December 19, 2008 at 9:10 pm I still have no idea what the stick even does, but I should probably get once since everyone else has one.

11. Lacey Nicole said

    December 19, 2008 at 9:18 pm i have never tried this!!!! i think i might need it for my calves tho they are ROCKS and knots. i am going to look into it, thanks Danica!

    good luck getting things in order and running when/as much as you want to.

12. P.O.M. said

    December 19, 2008 at 9:23 pm I’m hoping to get an 8 or 10er in this weekend. NOt sure if it will be Sat or Sun. Probaly tomorrow.

13. The Running Knitter said

    December 19, 2008 at 9:42 pm Good luck on your long run this weekend. The stick is on my wishlist too!

14. The Running Knitter said

    December 19, 2008 at 9:42 pm Good luck on your long run this weekend. The stick is on my wishlist too!

15. Burger said

    December 19, 2008 at 10:05 pm Danica – hope whatever you’re dealing with works itself out. Keep up with the running though – it’s a great stress reliever!

    And it’s well-documented that I swear by The Stick. Every runner should get one!

16. Stuart said

    December 19, 2008 at 10:22 pm Not sure I could ever look THAT happy, maybe he fell asleep with a coathanger in his mouth?

    But yes the stick is very good!

17. D10 said

    December 20, 2008 at 12:15 am I really enjoy the stick. It is a great gift.

18. chia said

    December 20, 2008 at 7:56 am Funny story actually…

    When I went to the almighty Mecca of running (a.k.a. “The Running Store”) the dude was like “ya, the stick works”

    I’m like “I’m getting this pain in my arse when I run, do you think it will work that out?”

    His response? “You might want to get a bigger stick if you’re using that on your butt”

    I think that brotha called me fat.

    Not quite sure.

    But yep.

    You’ll love it.

19. N.D. said

    December 20, 2008 at 2:20 pm I got the stick last year for christmas. It is nice, but I like hand massages by the husband better!

20. Laurel said

    December 21, 2008 at 4:44 am The stick is awesome on the calves.

21. Adam said

    December 21, 2008 at 4:07 pm How does everyone actually use the stick? I’ve seen it at a lot of expos and it looks sort of gimicky.

22. Adam said

    December 21, 2008 at 4:07 pm How does everyone actually use the stick? I’ve seen it at a lot of expos and it looks sort of gimicky.

23. Tri-ing Fat Man said

    December 21, 2008 at 11:06 pm I LOVE the stick.

    Combine the stick with trigger point and you will be in heaven!

    Kick butt!

24. Tri-ing Fat Man said

    December 21, 2008 at 11:06 pm I LOVE the stick.

    Combine the stick with trigger point and you will be in heaven!

    Kick butt!

25. Bring it on. said

    January 31, 2009 at 9:48 am I finally bought the stick last week at the Miami Marathon after seeing them at tons of expos. I really like it! i just wish i had a full time stick person so i didn’t have to do it!

Her are some other posts you may like:

• Does Anyone Use Those Massage Sticks?
• What People Say About “The Stick”
• Another Fan of The Stick!!!
• Testimonials Zealous Vitality has collected.

Social media is a great medium to connect with others.  In fact, social media allows people with similar interests interact quickly and efficiently.  I have joined a few social networks to see what people are most interested in and to see where the trends are.  To my surprise, tools such as Facebook and Twitter are excellent for staying in touch with people and interacting.

I love the fact that I know what people are up to and what they are interested in.  Facebook has helped me find new and old friends.  The pages section has allowed me to get up to date information on the topics I am most interested in.  As a result, I have created a “Fan” page for The Stick.  I post information all the time that I think people will find informative and help them live a healthy, active life.  You can become a fan of the stick here:

    http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Stick/106546661423

Twitter is an excellent way to follow people who have the same interests as you.  Once you start following people, you stay on top of the latest information.  Here is my Twitter profile:

http://twitter.com/ZealousVitality

Oh ya, don’t forget about YouTube!!! 

   http://www.youtube.com/user/ZealousVitality

I have to share this fantastic information with you.  I have been following Patrick Ward on Twitter and have found some awesome information he has posted on his website.  If you wan to learn more about Trigger Points, you should check out his to videos and the information in print.

It Hurts Right Here: The Mystery of Pain
By
Keats Snideman BS, CSCS, RKC, LMT
&
Patrick Ward MS, CSCS, LMT

Patrick and Keats write and talk about:

• Development of Pain in the Myofascial Tissues
• Are All Painful Spots Trigger Points?
• How Do You Know if You’re Dealing with TrP’s?
• Soft Tissue Techniques
• Applying Trigger Point referrals to myofascial lines
• Linking science to practice
• Practical Applications
• Conclusions

Credit goes to:

Keats Snideman is the owner of Reality Based Fitness.  Patrick Ward is the owner of Optimum Sports Performance.  Together they own the Reality Based Fitness/Optimum Sports Performance Training facility in Tempe, AZ, where they offer sport conditioning and soft tissue therapy to athletes and clients of all levels and abilities.  In addition, they both host the Reality Based Fitness Podcast.

Here are the videos:

Here is the direct link to the article : It Hurts Right Here: The Mystery of Pain

Remember, The Stick can help to take care of your soft tissue, the same way a therapists hands roll over your muscles.  As always, I do not claim that The Stick should replace human touch.  The massage device provides excellent support for your muscular heath.

In my last series of learning about Trigger Points, I would like you to watch the video below.  Dr. Kuttner, does an excellent job explainging what causes Trigger points and how to treat them.

The Stick is an excellent tool for managing trigger points.  

The compressing, stretching and fluid exchange provided by The Stick helps restore and maintain normal muscle tone, function and memory.  Also, it is not necessary to hurt the muscle in order to help the muscle.  Treat with “good” pain not “ouch” pain.  Typically a full body rollout before and after sleep, plus before and after bouts of physical activity, will provide utmost management in the individual’s search for enhanced muscle hygiene. – Dr. Belcher

Finding Trigger Points is a skill that can be learned.  This video shows you how!

The Stick can also help to identify Trigger Points by rolling The Stick over your muscles.  You do not need to go to the ground or push hard and go through pain to find Trigger Points. Typically, myofascial release techniques require help from a healthcare provider.  The Stick was developed for self-use.  Often, The Stick, is prescribed as an adjunct for home-use between clinical applications.  Some Trigger Points come back, meaning there is muscle memory involved.  Due to the the physiology of muscle memory, trigger points can be chronic in nature and tend to hang around like an unwelcomed party guest.  Typically, trigger points can be identified when they become active or painful.  “The small center-balance segments of The Stick, however, allows for the diagnosis of latent or inactive trigger points, as well” (Belcher).  Therefore, prevention of muscle lesions is a major and most appreciated asset.  By the way, inactive trigger points cause stiffness and/or limited range of motion – no pain.