Wednesday, March 21, 2018

Givin' the old man the "stick".

After racing one of my boats down in Florida during a Mid-Winter Regatta last month (first time back in the boat since mid October) I was greeted by the familiar three-day thigh burn which is common after a lengthy lay off from dinghy sailing.  After returning to the ice rink I noticed one of my skater friends working her legs with what looked like a nouveau version of my grandma's rolling pin.  As the light bulb slowly went on in my head, I asked her to educate me about the gizmo.  It's called "The Stick" and you can read about it here.here 

Wine isn't required for leg massage but can't hurt.  I bought the 18 inch long "travel" sized Stick.  If one shops around a bit, prices cheaper than those on the manufacturer's web site can be found.  I've been taking mine to the rink in my skate bag.  According to my skate-buddy, the best time to use the stick is immediately after getting off the ice, i.e. post activity.  According to her if one waits until getting home a lot of the benefit is lost.  Since my next regatta isn't until late May I will be very interested in seeing whether or not "the stick" helps me avoid or at least cut down the duration of muscle soreness which I always experience post regatta after a lengthy time away from the boats.  Gone are the days when as a teenager I'd feel the burn first time in the spring but then quickly sail myself into shape after a winter of not sailing.  Back then I sailed constantly all summer with a big regatta each weekend.  Now days, I sail maybe once a month during the summer/fall and then at the Mid-Winter event. Will the stick work on an old geezer's legs?   We shall see.  Who knows--it might even help my skating and give me a two sports benefit/single gizmo result.  Fingers (and legs) crossed!

8 comments:

  1. Wine isn't required for a lot of things...

    Wait, yes it is. :-)

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  2. Oh, a glass is part of my apres-skate warm down!

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  3. Hey, George, my husband just got one of those since he's been having some tightness in the quad and hip. He thinks it's really helpful. I haven't really tried it (still hooked on the foam roller), but intend to, since it seems like a great idea. Report back on whether it helps with post-skating too!

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  4. Jo: I've not had mine long enough to decide how effective it is, but I will report in if I can detect a benefit. I'm hoping!

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  5. A few of my skating friends use the stick and carry them to competitions. Keep us posted on whether it helps or not!

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    1. Eva, my chiropractor recently hired an assistant who is skilled in the use of foam and stick rollers to relieve trigger points and muscle snarls. I've booked a session with her during my next week's session with chiro-guy in the hopes that she can optimize my pre and post skating massage routine. I also have purchased a 6 inch foam roller and will be very interested in what she can teach me about both items. The stick is convenient to bring to the rink. The big foam roller, not so much. I'm thinking use the stick at the rink and finish with a routine on the foam roller once I get home. We'll see what she says.

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  6. Sounds like a winner. I sometimes use a tennis ball against the wall to work out some shoulder/neck knots.

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    1. That tennis ball sounds like a good idea. I've started using my stick on the bottoms of my feet. Feels good after two hours of feet confined to skate boots and enduring lots of repetitive moves. I'm hoping the big foam roller will be useful for my lower back--I probably should just go to a good masseuse but then I'd be too broke to skate!

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