Is there any benifit of using the triggerpiont massage stuff over say a tennis ball and cheaper foam rollers?
I have a weekly massage but I have a few tight spots that are only just kept on top of and never completely disperse.
I just got the complete set a few weeks ago and it’s fricken amazing! My IT bands both need pretty regular maintenance and I’ve been struggling with a hip injury all year.
-the quadballer is like a foam roller on steroids, great for quads and IT band, not really great for anything else but it works really really well for those. rolls a bit deeper and if you have a tight spot and you just roll to that spot and “sit” there 20sec or so it does a really really nice release on the muscle
-footballer works very well for the calves although I don’t use it much
-the ball, is 100x better than a tennis ball. penetrates much deeper and as it squishes a bit it’s easier to roll on and target areas. I’ll start and for the first few minutes not be able to get very deep. Five minutes later I’m waaaay deep right where the pain is. I use it against the wall, a textured wall for no slip grip is a bit better.
highly highly reccomended
100% better than a tennis ball- a tennis ball is hollow and will give greatly- the stuff they use inside these rollers and the ball are specially constructed to soften with heat and after 10-15 secs of pressure but soften just a little- just like a TP massage therapist would do- I use all 3- the quad baller can really get into the inside of your upper thigh much better than the foam roller and those tricky spots around your knee inside and outside- the ball I use on the wall, in my palm on my neck or lying on the floor for my illiopsoas/soas and low back, in and around my ribs etc. it is very specific. I also use the foam roller for the general heavy duty longer rolling- oh, the footballer on the calf helped immensely reduce my achilles and ITB issues. I would venture to say if done religiously you could cut your pricey massage therapist visits down to once a month or when needed- having the Tour on TV really helps me spend the time in the eve’s rolling around. Casey, the guy who started this stuff is an athlete himself and a friend of a friend who told me about it when I was having ITB issues early in the year.
I’ve had mixed success with trigger point massage when I’m the masseuse. The best was when I was able to break up the adhesions in my soleus. Even then, I only got part of it.
When I went to a good Active Release Technique practitioner, the dude put the hurt on my leg so bad I was very close to tears. That did the trick though and I haven’t had any calf issues since. Of course, I’ve made sure that once the adhesions were busted up in the muscle, that I kept stretching the area so the fibers would grow back “straight” and once healed, stay limber.
hak
Thanks everyone very interesting - I think I will have to add it to my stuff to by list.
I brought them last spring when I had some really bad piriformis pain from doing too heavy squats too soon. The pain was unbearable, even after a deep tissue massage. After just a few days with the massage ball kit I was feeling great. I don’t use them as often these days, but they’re a godsend for IT band pain after long road runs.
I’ve mentioned it before. I had plantar fasciitis, used the foot roller and bingo gone - IN ONE WEEK.
I think I should buy some more stuff from them - anyone got a discount code?
where did you buy them?
-the quadballer is like a foam roller on steroids, great for quads and IT band, not really great for anything else but it works really really well for those. rolls a bit deeper and if you have a tight spot and you just roll to that spot and “sit” there 20sec or so it does a really really nice release on the muscle
highly highly reccomended
Tai, the quadroller is not only for itb… i dont have IT band problem… but if you are training hard??? you should have your hip flexor shut and the quadroller is amazing for that and for the quad obviously and inside leg… it s probably by far my favorite peice of all there equipement… make sure you learn more about what you can do with it and you will find a lot of free speed in your running…
yep. It’s worth the money if you use it regularly.
Hey Jonnyo
Any good ways to get at the hamstrings and adductors with the TP products?
I presume the DVD shows/explains how to do all the exercises correctly?
yup, jonnyo, i use it all over but it’s mainly my IT band area, TF and piriformis areas that tend to get tight. Good god that quadballer can be painful though! I’ve got some weird hip area injury that’s been plagueing me all year. The TP Massage Ball gets in deeper than anything I’ve ever used before and I’m hoping, praying, crossing all fingers and toes that the several times a week torture sessions (but it’s gooood pain;) help out a bit so I can get back to running again!
Getting into the hams is a bit tricky. The ball under your thigh while sitting on a firm chair (wood) works best for me. If you only have a quadballer, I use the wheels - just sit on the floor with the roller blade wheel in your ham.
And one other good thing about the quadballer - you’ll use it more for your ITB. The diameter of a typical foam roller is at least 6 inches, which means your hip is 6 inches off the ground… but now you have to do something with your torso. For me, the quadballer “fits” a lot better, I can lie on my side without any trouble, and can relax the rest of my body. Seems like that’s a good thing since I’m trying to relax the ITB.
Mike