Re: The Stick / Foam Rollers (was: benefits of massage therapy)

[Guest guest]

I bought a 4 " foam roller. I have shoulder problems, and it's hard to move

yourself on the roller with bad shoulders.

Ann

Hello all:

For those of us who, for one reason or another, can't get massage

therapy on a regular basis, The Stick is a reasonable alternative.

The Stick is basically a fancy rolling pin for your muscles. I use

mine before every run. It really does a good job of hitting the

trigger points Ann referred to -- and yes, it definitely " hurts so

good. "

There are different models and they only cost about $25 or $30. You

can find them at:

http://www.thestick.com

Other members of this Group really like foam rollers, which are

larger cylinders of foam that you roll parts of your body across.

I've never tried them myself, but you can Google up lots of

information on them and you can by them via the Web as well.

HTH,

Doug

> Are you sure that sore point lateral to your knee is a trigger

point? Does it really " hurt so good " ? I'm sore there too, but it

feels more like something injured there, like maybe my lateral

collateral ligament. There are a lot of different tissues in there -

- the lateral retinaculum, the IT band goes through there, various

tendons connecting the quads to the femur, and that pesky LCL. Also

my new OS told me that if you have a torn meniscus, it can cause

pain there, outside the knee, and here's why (very interesting, I

thought).

>

> Firstly, the inner 2/3 of the meniscus has no pain nerves and no

blood supply. A little oversight by God when he designed knees,

because no blood supply means no healing. Anyway, let's say your

meniscus has what they call a bucket handle tear, in which the tear

may run across the meniscus front to back, but hasn't broken away.

He said that when you take a step (or otherwise bend your knee under

pressure), the femur pushes the torn part away, causing a lot of

pull at the corners where it's still attached. The outer part of

the meniscus, the thick part, is fairly pliable and has some

(limited) movement. The outer 1/3 of the meniscus does have pain

nerves (and a blood supply -- so if you're going to tear your

meniscus, be sure to tear the outer portion of it), and this

repetitive pulling irritates it muy mucho. Since the outer edge of

the meniscus is right there with all those other tissues right at

the joint, this can cause pain that seems to be in those other

tissues. He told me this about 5 min. before my operation last

week, because I had read that the meniscus doesn't have pain nerves

and I couldn't understand why my torn meniscus could be crippling me

so much. (I still have a lot of swelling from the operation, so

it's still too early to tell whether his removing the torn part will

help. I hope he's right.)

>

> Ann

> benefits of massage therapy

>

>

> Just wanted to share how helpful I've found trigger point

massage

> therapy to be. Not only is the massage great, but no doctor

or

> physical therapist has yet to " investigate " my body like a

good

> massage therapist. Last week my massage therapist pointed out

that

> my right pelvis was rotated severely forward. She stated that

I need

> to get with a good personal trainer who can help me with that

and my

> chronic IT band problems. So, if you're having problems

getting a

> good diagnosis regarding pain in your soft tissue areas, hip

pain,

> etc, I suggest finding a good massage therapist and seeing

what they

> have to say.

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

> > I found out what trigger points are and why they cause pain.

> Here's what they are:

> http://www.triggerpointbook.com/triggerp.htm

Coincidentally, I just bought this book (see

www.triggerpointbook.com) from Amazon. I haven't had a chance to

really read it yet, but from scanning through it, it looks good.

Some apparent faults: it doesn't seem to mention the foam roller or

the stick.

BTW, I've had good luck with the foam roller. Search the archives for

my posts on it. Also, there is a guide to using the foam roller at

smiweb.org.

Apparently the Simons and Travell books are the " definitive " books

for trigger points, if you don't mind paying $200 or so. I'll try to

look at them in a medical library some time.

[Guest guest]

If it's the book I'm thinking about (I know, I'm the one who first cited it, but

I'm cashing in one of my senior moments), it may have been written before they

invented the foam roller.

I have nothing against the foam roller. I think it's a great invention and

probably works on tight IT bands -- in fact, my PT suggested I get one, and I

did. But my painful shoulders can't take the weight of my body very long.

Ann

Re: The Stick / Foam Rollers (was:

benefits of massage therapy)

> > I found out what trigger points are and why they cause pain.

> Here's what they are:

> http://www.triggerpointbook.com/triggerp.htm

Coincidentally, I just bought this book (see

www.triggerpointbook.com) from Amazon. I haven't had a chance to

really read it yet, but from scanning through it, it looks good.

Some apparent faults: it doesn't seem to mention the foam roller or

the stick.

BTW, I've had good luck with the foam roller. Search the archives for

my posts on it. Also, there is a guide to using the foam roller at

smiweb.org.

Apparently the Simons and Travell books are the " definitive " books

for trigger points, if you don't mind paying $200 or so. I'll try to

look at them in a medical library some time.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Guest guest]

I need to replace my foam roller. Where did you purchase yours?

Re: The Stick / Foam Rollers (was: benefits

of massage therapy)

> > I found out what trigger points are and why they cause pain.

> Here's what they are:

> http://www.triggerpointbook.com/triggerp.htm

Coincidentally, I just bought this book (see

www.triggerpointbook.com) from Amazon. I haven't had a chance to

really read it yet, but from scanning through it, it looks good.

Some apparent faults: it doesn't seem to mention the foam roller or

the stick.

BTW, I've had good luck with the foam roller. Search the archives for

my posts on it. Also, there is a guide to using the foam roller at

smiweb.org.

Apparently the Simons and Travell books are the " definitive " books

for trigger points, if you don't mind paying $200 or so. I'll try to

look at them in a medical library some time.

_____

[Guest guest]

Ann:

The Stick does not require you to lean your body weight on your

arms. You can do it standing, sitting or lying down. You still

have to use your arms, but it may be easier on your shoulders than a

foam roller.

HTH,

Doug

> I have nothing against the foam roller. ***Snip But my painful

shoulders can't take the weight of my body very long.

>

> Ann

[Guest guest]

I prefer 4 inch roller although they are not nearly as durable as 6

inch rollers. 4 inch rollers are harder to find. I got my first one

from www.smiweb.org (24 x 4 for $15) but I also need a replacement

and I'm thinking of getting it from here:

http://www.optp.com/shop.cfm?groupid=Feldenkrais%20%26%20Foam%

20Rollers & catid=Foam%20Rollers

I got this link from Ann on the itbs group. Ann, were you happy with

the service of this place? How has the roller been holding up?

I'm thinking of getting the 36 x 4 roller for $12 and cutting it in

half. (I notice that they also have a more expensive 29 x 4 roller

with a solid core that is supposed to be more durable. Anyone try

something like this?)

> I need to replace my foam roller. Where did you purchase yours?

>

> Re: The Stick / Foam Rollers

(was: benefits of massage therapy)

>

>

> > > I found out what trigger points are and why they cause

pain.

> > Here's what they are:

> > http://www.triggerpointbook.com/triggerp.htm

>

> Coincidentally, I just bought this book (see

> www.triggerpointbook.com) from Amazon. I haven't had a chance to

> really read it yet, but from scanning through it, it looks good.

>

> Some apparent faults: it doesn't seem to mention the foam roller or

> the stick.

>

> BTW, I've had good luck with the foam roller. Search the archives

for

> my posts on it. Also, there is a guide to using the foam roller at

> smiweb.org.

>

> Apparently the Simons and Travell books are the " definitive " books

> for trigger points, if you don't mind paying $200 or so. I'll try

to

> look at them in a medical library some time.

>

>

>

>

>

>

> _____

>

>

[Guest guest]

> If it's the book I'm thinking about (I know, I'm the one who first

cited it, but I'm cashing in one of my senior moments), it may have

been written before they invented the foam roller.

>

> I have nothing against the foam roller. I think it's a great

invention and probably works on tight IT bands -- in fact, my PT

suggested I get one, and I did. But my painful shoulders can't take

the weight of my body very long.

Yes, I agree that the foam body does stress the shoulders, upper

body, etc. This is a GOOD thing if your shoulders are in good health

because it is good exercise, but I can see how it would be a real

problem with painful shoulders.

For those of you who are saying to yourselves, " Just what the HECK is

a foam roller and how do I use one? " see

http://www.smiweb.org/guides/pdf/roller_guide.pdf

I really, really like the foam roller, but I'm probably going to get

a " the stick " also for use when traveling, etc. Also the stick is

something that you can use in a parking lot, etc. unlike the foam

roller which requires an area of clean floor space.

If I ever get the stick, I will post my impressions of how it

compares to the roller.

[Guest guest]

Wow. I don't remember. It was on the Web. I think I searched for " foam

roller " and looked at several places before ordering. I got a good price (but

can't remember what that was either, but it was just a few months ago).

Ann

Re: The Stick / Foam Rollers (was:

benefits of massage therapy)

> > I found out what trigger points are and why they cause pain.

> Here's what they are:

> http://www.triggerpointbook.com/triggerp.htm

Coincidentally, I just bought this book (see

www.triggerpointbook.com) from Amazon. I haven't had a chance to

really read it yet, but from scanning through it, it looks good.

Some apparent faults: it doesn't seem to mention the foam roller or

the stick.

BTW, I've had good luck with the foam roller. Search the archives for

my posts on it. Also, there is a guide to using the foam roller at

smiweb.org.

Apparently the Simons and Travell books are the " definitive " books

for trigger points, if you don't mind paying $200 or so. I'll try to

look at them in a medical library some time.

_____

[Guest guest]

Or you can use a tennis ball against the wall. It works on IT bands. I think

the foam roller is better because it pulls the whole IT band at once.

Ann

Re: The Stick / Foam Rollers (was:

benefits of massage therapy)

Ann:

The Stick does not require you to lean your body weight on your

arms. You can do it standing, sitting or lying down. You still

have to use your arms, but it may be easier on your shoulders than a

foam roller.

HTH,

Doug

> I have nothing against the foam roller. ***Snip But my painful

shoulders can't take the weight of my body very long.

>

> Ann

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Guest guest]

Yes, I got my foam roller promptly. I haven't used it enough to know how well

it holds up. I got a 3 ft one and cut into two pieces.

Ann

I prefer 4 inch roller although they are not nearly as durable as 6

inch rollers. 4 inch rollers are harder to find. I got my first one

from www.smiweb.org (24 x 4 for $15) but I also need a replacement

and I'm thinking of getting it from here:

http://www.optp.com/shop.cfm?groupid=Feldenkrais%20%26%20Foam%

20Rollers & catid=Foam%20Rollers

I got this link from Ann on the itbs group. Ann, were you happy with

the service of this place? How has the roller been holding up?

I'm thinking of getting the 36 x 4 roller for $12 and cutting it in

half. (I notice that they also have a more expensive 29 x 4 roller

with a solid core that is supposed to be more durable. Anyone try

something like this?)

> I need to replace my foam roller. Where did you purchase yours?

>

> Re: The Stick / Foam Rollers

(was: benefits of massage therapy)

>

>

> > > I found out what trigger points are and why they cause

pain.

> > Here's what they are:

> > http://www.triggerpointbook.com/triggerp.htm

>

> Coincidentally, I just bought this book (see

> www.triggerpointbook.com) from Amazon. I haven't had a chance to

> really read it yet, but from scanning through it, it looks good.

>

> Some apparent faults: it doesn't seem to mention the foam roller or

> the stick.

>

> BTW, I've had good luck with the foam roller. Search the archives

for

> my posts on it. Also, there is a guide to using the foam roller at

> smiweb.org.

>

> Apparently the Simons and Travell books are the " definitive " books

> for trigger points, if you don't mind paying $200 or so. I'll try

to

> look at them in a medical library some time.

>

>

>

>

>

>

> _____

>

>