How To Use A Massage Stick

Be your own personal masseuse with a massage stick.

If you lot're similar any of our staff, you have a spot at domicile where you go along all of your running goodies: foam rollers, massage sticks, massage balls, compression sleeves, insoles, and even a stash of nutrition. A 'runner's tool kit', if you will.

Foam rollers are great for your dorsum, quads, and hamstrings because it allows you to use your body weight to your advantage and utilise great amounts of pressure level to break up dense muscle tissues that may be causing yous problems. But foam rollers are limited by their large size.

Foam Rolling: What It Does, Example Exercises, and When to Go to the Doctor

Foam rolling. Anybody's doing it. Elite athletes and runners are swearing by them, not-runners are even finding out the benefits of them, and this woman from Self Magazine fifty-fifty said her life will never be the aforementioned since she took a foam rolling class. It's 2018 and there's no denying that foam rolling works.

That's where massage rollers come up into play.

What is a massage stick or roller?

A massage roller is a handheld massage device used to interruption up obstructed muscle tissue, which helps claret flow and helps facilitate the healing response. Massage rollers tin can come in many shapes and sizes. The most common, is the massage stick, usually covered in plastic, rubber, or foam "gears" or "wheels" for increased massage precision. TriggerPoint even makes a specific roller for your foot.

What do massage sticks and rollers do?

Across the board, from cream rollers, to massage sticks and massage balls, the concept is the same. In short, they help with elasticity and flexibility back into the trunk, which tin help improve range of motion, help reduce muscle soreness, and forbid actress stress and strain placed on the body that can lead to overuse injuries.

What areas of the body practice massage sticks and rollers help the nearly?

Massage sticks and rollers are similar in that they are both benign in massaging the aforementioned areas, but there's one main deviation. Massage sticks and rollers are handheld, making them peachy at pinpointing specific, smaller muscle groups. Since you lot have complete control in your hands, you can adjust the force per unit area hands and ringlet laterally.

Here are the best areas to pinpoint with a massage stick or roller.

Adductors (Inner Thigh): When we call back of leg muscles, nosotros think quads and hamstrings. The Adductor group is a set up of muscles inside of the leg and play a pivotal role in the stabilization of the legs and pelvis.

Shins: We usually think of the shin every bit a bony place, but in fact there is a skilful-sized musculus on the lateral face up of the shin. Massaging this space regularly can help forestall the onset of shin splints. If you accept been diagnosed with shin splints, delight advise with your md on how yous should be massaging.

Information technology Band (Outer Thigh): The iliotibial band runs forth the lateral or outside aspect of the thigh, from the pelvis to the tibia, crossing both the hip and human knee joints. The iliotibial band is an important stabilizer structure of the lateral part of the knee as the joint flexes and extends. Inflammation and irritation tin can occur as it travels back and along. Too much of this motion and overuse of the It Band can cause Iliotibial band syndrome.

Plantar fasciitis: Plantar fasciitis is i of the nigh common causes of heel pain. Information technology involves inflammation of a thick band of tissue that runs beyond the lesser of your foot and connects your heel bone to your toes. While a stick isn't optimal for treating this pain, TriggerPoint makes a specific product for this, the NANO Pes Roller, which we'll take a expect at below.

When is the best time to use a massage roller?

Pre-workout: Information technology's ever benign to coil out with stick using a wide, loose grip before a run to warm up the muscles, don't apply too much pressure level and don't pinpoint any muscle groups.

Post-workout: Afterwards your conditioning your muscles volition be fairly warmed upward. This is the fourth dimension to tighten your grip on your massage stick and pinpoint those smaller muscle groups using lateral and up-and-down movements. Nosotros'll await at some example exercises below.

What are some example exercises using a massage stick and massage roller?

The following are specific videos on how to target muscle groups. There's just ane rule of thumb: slow downwardly when applying a lot of pressure level and feel free to speed up when the pressure level is light.

How to massage the adductor muscles using an Addaday Type A massage stick, using a wide grip. Here are alternative grips and motions to massage the adductor muscles

How to massage the shins using an Addaday Type A massage stick, using a wide grip. Here are culling grips and motions to massage the shins.

How to massage the Information technology Band using an Addaday Type A massage stick, using a wide grip. Here are alternative grips and motions to massage the It Ring.

How to massage the foot for plantar fascitiis relief using the TriggerPoint NANO Foot Roller.

Are the more expensive massage sticks worth the money over a cheaper culling?

Yes, you shouldn't be able to bend the massage stick. Cheaper alternatives are typically fabricated of plastic and bend, meaning you lot won't be able to get as deep of a massage. Addaday and Triggerpoint, the two brands you'll find in our stores, use a steel bar. On top of the steel bar, Addaday'south rollers are covered with their patented safe knobs and gears designed for kneading.

What is the difference between tightness/pain and injury/pain?

The next two questions were the about common questions our social media followers asked u.s.. To respond it, we reached out to the professionals at Aligned Modern Wellness. According to Vince Roberts, Director of Physical Medicine, there are two things to consider when it comes to pain.Quality and intensity.

The pain of training hard or dealing with small tissue stresses is one of a tedious soreness or ache, and it usually volition misemploy within a short period of time (1-3 days). These symptoms will commonly exist rated at less than 5 out of 10 for intensity, although all people vary in their experience of hurting.

The hurting of injury is near often ane of sharpness, stabbing or even a burning sensation that does not dissipate easily and could last days to weeks. These symptoms will usually be more intense, existence rated more in the 5-10 out of 10 pain intensity.

When should I meet a professional person?

According to Roberts, when the signs are at that place – sharp or burning hurting that interferes with normal functional recreation, ofttimes with an intensity rating of five+ out of 10, is a good time to stop what you're doing and get it evaluated.

Nosotros all want to go back to running sooner, so don't permit injuries fester or stick around as well long; a visit to the dr. can reveal a lot of things yous're unaware of.  Understanding an issue'due south cause, and not just the pain that arises as a consequence, can lead to quick recovery times and less risk for hereafter injury.

Source: https://www.fleetfeet.com/s/chicago/toolkit/massage-sticks%20and%20massage%20balls-where-and-when-to-use-them-and-example-exercises

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