What is Reddit's opinion of Perform Better The Stick-Self Roller Massager 17" Travel Stick?

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Foam rollers are great even if you don't have issues in the muscle you're rolling. In track, we'd all fight over the foam rollers and the "marshmallow sticks". I totally recommend these for anyone who has muscles, lol

More importantly, I'm so happy for you OP! I know that chronic pain can really hold you back and have you living on 75% as your max. This is going to be such a wonderful change :)

Besides the obvious extra everything, I have one of these muscle roller sticks in my bag. Really helps if it's your third game of the week and you need to get 'er goin'. The legs feed the wolf.

Foam rolling right before class starts has helped me a ton as far as not getting as many knots and strains goes.

this thing is my favorite for knots after i get them, but it only really works in spots that aren’t too boney.

The massage guns feel amazing to the point that i can’t tell if they’re making anything better or if it just feels so nice that it’s masking the problem.

I get that! My PT prescribed The Stick to roll up and down the area between my inner-ish knee and up near my pelvis. It makes my whole leg feel better.

Going up further, manually, there is a 'rope-y' sensation in the groin area. When I comoare it to the left side, there is a huge difference.

—------------------- Perform Better The Stick-Self Roller Massager 17" Travel Stick https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0028BSFIS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_q5snDb80Z6C07

I noticed that the one I linked to was longer and more expensive, I think this is the one I have for $25:
https://www.amazon.com/Stick-Self-Roller-Massager-Travel-Stick/dp/B0028BSFIS/ref=sr_1_19_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1494090411&sr=8-19&keywords=the%2Bstick&th=1

I don't have a really specific answer to your questions, I just picked it up from the sport massage place I've gone to, and it turned out to be about 10x better than a foam roller. For just the calves I do a few minutes, but when I do it I roll out all the muscles on my legs, so it ends up taking much longer overall.

Today I worked up with my calves tight. Rolled them, helped a little. It bizarrely wasn't until I rolled my quads that my calves stopped feeling tight.

They're all connected, if you just can't get the calf to loosen up, trying rolling out everything else.

I do recommend "The Stick" over a rolling pin though. I find I need to be able to push into the muscle with a smaller surface, and without breaking it.

these work well. great for working out knots from leg kicks too.

I've dealt with knee issues for about a decade.

I learned that my knee issues were due to a couple of issues:

1. Meniscus tears in both knees - out of my control, and decided not to have surgery
2. Muscle imbalances in my legs, and weak tendons. The majority of the issue seems to be in my quads and IT band.

This is what works for me:

1. Strengthening my quads, and regular quad maintenance with foam rolling, massaging with a tool like this. It's a lifelong battle.
2. consistent knee flossing- after exercise and sometimes when i'm just sitting around watching tv
3. Increased hamstring mobility/stretching

The biggest mentality shift - is that you have to do preventative injury care - meaning - you have to proactively work on your problem areas. for me, this is especially important after exercising, and/or if i have not exercised in a while.

regarding yoga specifically - i would encourage you to try a bunch of things - working all of the support muscles around the knee, legs, lower back, butt, etc. It's all connected and the root cause of your knee pain may not actually be your knee, but rather a weakness/tightness in another part of the body.

Biggest tip for yoga - is to know what to avoid to prevent knee damage. If it feels wrong- stop immediately. Whenever I do a class, and I start to feel something in my knees - i find an alternative pose.

I use one of these https://www.amazon.com/Stick-Self-Roller-Massager-Travel-Stick/dp/B0028BSFIS . I like it way better than a foam roller and way easier to use on your quads.

The Stick!

Perform Better The Stick-Self Roller Massager 17" Travel Stick https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0028BSFIS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_RE4JA1YKKN7ECBQCZ57B?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

I really like “The Stick” (travel or sport size) that you can find off of Amazon

I don’t have any crazy advice but I will say I’d invest time trying to get in to see a physiotherapist instead of a doctor. Any time I’ve seen a doctor for this type of thing they shrug and send me off to physio. I once waited weeks to see a sports medicine doctor just for him to do some tests and write a prescription for physio for me. I won’t say the visit was useless because it was a bit of a more serious injury and I wanted to rule out some stuff and he did provide a diagnosis but unless you need a prescription for physio for insurance purposes? Id skip right to physio, especially now when it’s hard to get appointments.... the doc may recommend physio and then you’re just waiting again. Doctors are great. Not trying to say they aren’t. But their skill set isn’t as good for this sort of thing as an athletic therapist or physiotherapist.

You can use any sort of round object to roll out knots. Lacrosse ball, tennis ball, etc. I haven’t tried a liquor bottle but I’ve always had a ball suggested to me so I’m not sure if that’s why my non-injury treatment related items worked and yours haven’t? Maybe try a rolling pin? It’s a bit more precise I guess? Plus I don’t think I’d push hard enough on a glass bottle for fear or breaking it... maybe choose something you are less delicate with?

Also I always stretch out my calves after running by standing on a step and letting my heels hang off. I do this one at a time so the pressure isn’t too great. I also lunge too. I also have super tight calves. Rolling really does help when you figure it out.

(Edit: here’s the roller I use for my calves... I have a larger foam roller that’s useful too but this one gets the calves good... https://www.amazon.ca/Stick-Self-Roller-Massager-Travel-Stick/dp/B0028BSFIS/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?adgrpid=60265296439&dchild=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIktrisNCU6wIVE4bICh39ugrEEAAYASAAEgJWyvD_BwE&hvadid=310039107341&hvdev=m&a...)

Thanks for posting this!

https://youtu.be/yZxnb1eqLfo

These guys (" Bob & Brad" channel on YouTube) have some great videos on sprained ankle! Helped me wrap it properly and rehab it quickly. No affiliation at all but love these guys! If you need a PT suggest searching here first!

This is great info and advice on shin splints, but have a comment or two to add based on my personal experiences that might help.

I like "The Stick" roller better than foam roller. You can take all the pressure off the bone and really focus on the anterior tibialis. I generally dislike the foam rollers because they can require contortionist skills I don't have. But they are PTs and there may be advantages I don't understand.

You can get at the muscles from all angles. Very portable. Used on calves, quads, hams, IT band, even lower back, Love this thing. Maybe not as good as that electronic device they show, but a lot cheaper and I like it. See below for Amazon link.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0028BSFIS/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_i_oPZQEbCGPB0P4

Regarding the foot strike, they recommend moving from heel strike to forefoot strike and that it takes effort to retrain yourself. I found minimalist (sometimes called barefoot) shoes do that effortlessly. They don't raise your heel (like normal shoes) so you naturally hit the ground on mid to fore foot. This is how we were made to run. They are great. Doesn't cure shin splints but really helps you not get them. And super light. Helps with other aches and pains like calf and Achilles too.

Finally I'll recommend a book called ChiRunning. Teaches a body friendly style of running which deemphasizes leg muscle involvement. (Might be counter intuitive but look at the Kenyan marathon runners. Their legs are like toothpicks. Obviously they are generating power some other way). Anyway, the techniques described helped me run pain free for last 2 years, after a debilitating experience with shin splints 6 years earlier that I couldn't rehab (because I was ignorant and just kept running expecting the shin splints would resolve on their own). That basically halted my running at that time out of frustration.

My best advice is catch and treatt them early. And don't run through the pain.

Good luck!

Yea that bump doesn’t look like it has anything to do with a muscle.

For the tightness I’d recommend The Stick and this bad boy.

yes unintentionally very smutty =)

Here's a link