The Stick As a Recovery Tool Part 2

To fully understand muscle recovery whether it is work related, induced by training and/or exercise or even from a medical condition, we first need to discuss muscles as compliant and non-compliant.

We will first start with a discussion of compliant muscle. Muscles that are compliant can be shortened, stretched, compressed and twisted without symptoms of soreness or pain. They will exhibit flexibility, strength, good circulation, and the qualities of endurance.

Let’s switch our focus to the qualities of a non-compliant muscle.  Non-compliant tissue is tight, stiff and tender.  People often refer to this type of sensation as having painful “knots” in their muscles. Their muscles actually feels fibrous instead of long, lean and smooth.  Non-compliant muscles exhibit reduced flexibility, weakness, poor blood circulation and they easily fatigue.  A non-compliant muscle or group of muscles create barriers which restrict peak performance and blood flow.  These, non-compliant muscles are susceptible to injury because they are not functioning properly. In order for the body to perform at optimum levels, muscles must me allowed to expand and contract freely.

The human body contains approximately 690 muscle bellies and tendons. Each muscle has an origin and an insertion.  The rule of thumb is the origin is where the muscle attaches to bone and the least amount of movement takes place.  Whereas the insertion of a muscle is the opposite end of the muscle that attaches to bone where the most movement takes place.  Here is a great website for muscle origins and insertions. 

Now that we have some basic understanding of compliant and non-compliant muscles, there are some tough questions to answer:

• Why are some muscles compliant and others are not?
• Why do specific muscle get stiff during weather changes, yet others appear to be  unaffected?
• Why do we continually wake up with the same sore, stiff muscle pain in the same place every morning?
• Why does our back hurt in some positions and not others?
• Why do our episodes of muscular pain plague us in the same spot?
• Why does the pain return . . . even after treatment?

The above hypothetical questions all have one common answer. That is… myofascial lesions in the form of barrier trigger points.  Myofascia is the tissue that surrounds all muscles.  I like to describe it like the substance that holds sausages together.  Barrier trigger points are inflexible bands of muscle, usually containing knots. These trigger points (knots) set an artificial ceiling on optimal muscle performance by restricting blood flow to the muscle(s). Muscles need unrestricted blood flow for both high performance and full recovery from muscle activity regardless of the type (athletic, work related or a muscular condition). Simply put, barrier trigger points are usually the primary cause of non-compliant muscles.

Here is where The Stick comes in…

The STICK allows a person to self-administer general as well as segmental therapeutic practices with a great deal of accuracy. By rolling over the muscles with The Stick, muscles become compliant and ready for activity. Due to the bio-mechanical rolling, stretching and compressing of muscle tissue, barrier trigger points become diffused and rehabilitation of non-compliant muscles takes place. Remember that a compliant muscle will perform much better than a non-compliant muscle.

Stay tuned for Part 3 of The Stick as a Recovery Tool.

Massage Therapy Reduces Muscle Soreness

As you can see from my last post, massage has been the topic of study for its ability to relieve pain and soreness. Especially concerning high intense exercise.  Specifically, sore muscles, are attracting increased attention as sports massage becomes a regular part of an athletes’ training regiment.

As I mentioned before, there has been recent studies that highlight some of the benefits of receiving massage therapy after a training session to reduce soreness.

Researchers at the University of Iowa, studied DOMS. Participants in the study exerted their muscles, then were assessed for Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness. Deep tissue massage was given to the participants, then their level of soreness was reanalyzed.

In this study from Iowa, Frey Law et al., were looking for the analgesic effects of massage on reducing soreness. They found that the participants muscle symptoms were decreased by as much as 50%. Depending on the pain measures taken, they found muscle soreness was relieved by 25%-50%.  Those are significant findings! 

In addition, at Kings College of London,  a study by Hurley and Bearne reported that massage was amongst the non-exercise physical therapies found to be effective for treating musculoskeletal conditions. They also mentioned other reasons to use massage for pain relief as cost efficient and easy to self-administer. 

After reading these studies, The Stick is the perfect tool for helping with muscle soreness when it comes to DOMS.  You can use The Stick anytime and anywhere with easy and accuracy.  The Stick is very cost efficient.  To find out more, visit our site – The Stick provided by Zealous Vitality Inc.

Using The Stick in Cold Weather

Since I live in an area in Alberta, Canada where there has been a substantial amount of snowfall and cold weather this year, I decided to experiment a little with The Stick as a warm-up and cool-down tool in cold weather.  Here are some relevant Stick tips.

Here is what we know already about The Stick as a warm-up/cool-down tool:

• A typical warm-up for healthy muscle tissue is about 20 progressively deeper passes over each muscle group (about 30 seconds per area).
• By warming up muscles for exercise, the muscles are becoming stimulated and ready to perform by increasing the blood flow to that muscle group.
• A typical cool-down for healthy muscle tissue is about 20 progressively deeper passes over each muscle group (about 30 seconds per area).
• By cooling down muscles after exercise, muscles are permitted to slowly return to their resting state and blood pooling will be reduced.  Soreness and stiffness can be diminished with a proper cool-down, leading to  increased recovery for the next time training takes place.  Never mind allowing your heart to recover.

Here is what I have been doing:

1. Rolling over my legs (one leg @ a time) in my house, starting with quads, then hamstrings, then calves.
2. Switching legs
3. Lower back/Upper Back
4. A little on the arms.
5. Going out for a run in the cold/snow.
6. Light stretching on thet front step of my house.
7. Repeating steps 1-4 in my house.
8. Stretching my lower back with the Posture Curve!

My findings have been very impressive.  I feel fantastic!  Due to the fact that I warm-up with The Stick, my muscles are prepared for exercise without expending energy.  This is a real benefit since the cold and snow already zap a lot of energy to begin with.  I can start my run right away without spending extra time outside “warming-up”.  My muscles are primed and ready to go.

You may notice that when you do exercise outside that your muscles due become stiff and cold even though you are exercising.  This is really apparent when your done your workout.  Typically your legs are a little cold and stiff.  This is where The Stick is even more impressive.  By rolling over your muscles, you actually are speeding up circulation by bringing blood flow to the area you are rolling.  Your legs actually warm-up a little at the same time you are flushing out the lactic acid that has built up from your training session.

Needless to say, The Stick is amazing!!

P.S.- My wife, who is the real runner, loves using The Stick too!!

P.S.S – These same results will work for your pets and horses!!

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.