117 of 128 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Holy Grail for Self-Empowered Myofascial Treatment, February 11, 2010
So I had some time this weekend to use my Hip + Lower Back kit and GRID Roller and here's my review.
A little bit of history on myself:
I've been an athlete my whole life -- basketball, football, wrestling, skateboarding, snowboarding, skimboarding, dancing, running and swimming.
I've also been a practitioner of yoga for over 10 years and actively practicing trigger point therapy and other massage techniques for almost 10 years now.
In Winter of 2003, I had a major snowboarding injury to my right hip that stretched up my entire spine from the whiplash. The immediate consequence was loss of function on my right leg for almost 2 months. The long-term residual consequence was the loss of function in my arms. This surfaced while I was attending Musician's Institute, playing my guitar for up to 10 hours-a-day. The doctors addressed the symptoms, not the cause... looking solely at my wrists and labeling it Tendonitis when in reality, the symptoms came from aggravated nerves in my neck from the whiplash.
I had a similar experience as Cassidy, finding short-term relief in all forms of specialists and treatments but nothing that lasted long-term and more importantly, nothing that empowered me to take control of my recovery in the big picture. Doctors were nudging me towards surgery and meds while also advising me to reduce arm usage. Like hell I'm going to listen to some stranger that thinks they know more about my own body than me, even if they are doctors! No offense to doctors, but I wasn't going to be a textbook case. No thanks!
So using my past experience in athletics and manual therapy, I continued to build towards a working knowledge of how the body functions in all aspects, using myself as the test subject. One of the greatest discoveries from those years of research and experiments is Trigger Point therapy. With the myriad of different angles I approached, I can confidently say that I have regained complete control and function to both my arms with more strength than I ever remember and continue to make progress in other areas of my body -- most notably, my hips and legs. I cannot over-emphasize the importance of taking care of one's muscles for a better quality of life. It is a serious endeavor, aiming to rid one's body of all muscular tension and trigger points. Even with the right tools, it can be the challenge of a life-time which is why I'm delighted to add Cassidy's products to my tool box!
Moving on to the tools:
TP Ball - The TP ball is wrapped in a soft cloth cover that allows just the right about of "give" in relation to its solid core. The end result is a very effective balance of yield and pressure. This is the perfect setting between unduly soft air-filled balls like tennis balls and exceedingly hard solid balls like lacrosse balls.
I keep these with me where ever I go. They work great in the palm of your hand against areas like the pectorals, abdomen, quads. If you have a wall nearby, they work great on the deltoids, back, glutes, etc... If you have a chair nearby, they work awesome on the hamstrings, glutes and piriformis muscles. If you want maximum pressure though, the floor works best, treating back, glutes, abs, psoas and feet muscles.
TP Footballer - The TP Footballer is also wrapped in a soft cloth cover and shares the same balance of yield and give as the TP Ball. The shape and size of the Footballer is perfect for your arches, soleus and even forearms.
I find that alternating between the TP Ball and TP Footballer works great in loosening up tight arches. Variety of movement and manipulations is key, just like in weight training. It appears that muscle-confusion works on recovery as much as growth.
TP Quadballer - The TP Quadballer is basically a larger version of the Footballer, allowing you to treat the hamstrings, glutes, quads, and neck muscles. You can also use the Quadballer to treat your arches, soleus and arms if you want less intensity than the Footballer.
The TP Quadballer replaced many tools I used prior to its discovery -- particularly the tools I used for treating my quads.
I use the TP Quadballer in combination with the GRID roller for variety. The TP Quadballer is lower to the ground, which can require more effort to get good leverage on certain muscles like the hamstrings, but it provides deeper pressure and the lower level makes it easier to treat other muscles like the quadriceps.
TP GRID Roller - The TP GRID Roller is a compact, heavy-duty roller with different patterns on the surface for a variety of manipulations and applications.
The first thing I noticed is the size -- it's much smaller than the foam roller I had before. This makes sense because you don't need that much surface to make contact when rolling. This focuses the pressure more, providing better traction and circulation. The second thing I noticed was the foam material -- once again, it's the perfect balance of pressure and yield.
It really helps that the foam wraps a hard cylinder because it will not give out under extreme loads. For example, I can get excellent traction, manipulating/adjusting my spine with a relatively easy bounce while rolling on the GRID. On my old foam roller, I had to bounce just about as hard as I could to get the same manipulation/spinal release I get on the GRID.
After using the products for a good "break in" period I have come to 2 conclusions:
1) I can tell the tools were developed by someone who "gets" it. Everything from the design, materials, heck even branding -- bottom line, if Cassidy didn't create these products.. I would have! Unless you're someone who has dealt with chronic on-going musculoskeletal or any other chronic pain for that matter, you might not understand my geeky excitement but the fact is, these tools are exactly what the patient ordered. (the doctor would have ordered pills and a scalpel)
2) I own and have used dozens of different manual therapy tools -- TPP tools have replaced a lot of my regular first choices. Which leads me to my conclusion, people need to know about these tools! I can't believe how long I've used lesser tools for the job.
Summary:
Rating: 10/10
For anyone who suffers from chronic muscle tension, is involved in performance athletics or is recovering from muscular injury, TPP products are a no-brainer. I would even be bold enough to say that these products and associated education NEED to be integrated into our public school's physical education programs. Imagine how productive and healthy our future generations could be if we taught our children how to take care of their own bodies -- if we gave them the tools AND knowledge to empower them to appreciate and respect their bodies. And lastly, what they can achieve for our future generations without being held back by unnecessary limits created by unhealthy bodies. I know my kids have a greater genuine interest in massage and their own bodies -- thanks to my influence and tools being at their disposal.
Bottom line, I recommend Trigger Point Performance to all my family and friends because I have first-hand experienced the effectiveness of their products.
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