I purchased "The Stick" about a year ago. This product is meant to roll up and down your sore muscles, like a bunch of tiny rolling pins. When you first roll it across your outside quads it feels amazing. Really, when you roll this thing up and down around the IT bands, man, it's better than any massage. So you try that and you're sold right away. But then you get home and try it a few more times, and the effect wears off, so you put The Stick up and don't touch it for a few months. But then you get it down, roll it again, and it feels just as good as the first time, especially if you had finished a long run or speed workout within the last few days. Although it feels amazing on the outer leg muscles, it also does a lot of good on the rest of your legs, and your back (if you can find someone to roll it for you). I don't know the physiology behind it, but I guess the rolling helps blood flow into the smaller vessels, allowing quicker recovery by pushing out all the lactic acid. Whatever the cause, when you spend a few minutes with The Stick a few times a month, it's worth your time. The price, however, is pretty steep. I think I paid $40 for mine last year. It's competitor is the foam roller, and although not as stiff as The Stick, it can still get the muscles relaxed. The Stick is better for a hard massage on the main muscles, whereas the foam roller can be more liberally used. It's like a hard massage vs. a soft massage. In "Running with the Buffaloes" some of the runners get massages that leave their legs bruised. Therefore, I stick with The Stick, thinking that the extra force provides extra healing. By Mark Thompson |
