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Lead Stories: Friday, August 29, 2008

How Foam Rollers Can Help to Prevent/Relieve IT Band Pain

Posted January 7th, 2008 at 6:45 AM by Katie Drummond

Section: Health & Fitness, Injury & Rehab

The foam roller move recently discussed by fellow TFS Media Network publication HerActiveLife.com is an excellent form of self massage. It is especially helpful for runners who tend to have tight IT bands and often suffer related injuries.

The IT band is a tough group of fibers that run along the outside of the thigh from your hip to your knee. One way to help alleviate this pain is to use a foam roller to perform myofascial release (aka a form of massage).

For more information on how to perform the foam roller move, please visit or partner site: HerActiveLife.com.

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TFS Review: TP Total Package (Ball, Footballer, Block & Quadballer)

Posted May 29th, 2007 at 10:20 AM by Paul Petersen

Section: Gear & Apparel, Miscellaneous, Sports Medicine, Special Features, Health & Fitness, Injury & Rehab, TFS Reviews

These past two seasons have been tough ones for me. Runners’ knee in both knees, lower back pain, SI joint pain, plantar fasciitis, and a groin strain had brought my running to a grind (literally) during 2005 and the first half of 2006. After months of not running, and enduring physical therapy, chiropractic, and massage therapy, I was finally back up and running by September of 2006.

I noticed that deep tissue massage was particularly effective in accelerating healing, but at $40/hr, I could not afford to do it more than once or twice a month. Then I discovered Trigger Point Technologies and their massage products through injury message boards and word of mouth. I figured that the TP Massage set would be good investment, since I could use it every day at no cost after the initial purchase.

If it holds to even half of the claims of the website and of other peoples’ reviews, it would be worth the money by helping to keep me injury-free and feeling good during and after runs (Some of the before mentioned reviews of this self-massage toolset are by Linda Gallo, SNEWS, and active.com). Reviews such as these, plus the product’s informative website, convinced me to shell out the cash to buy it myself and add it to my arsenal of injury-prevention and running maintenance tools.

I have been using the massage tools and techniques faithfully every day now for the last 8 weeks. The tools of the “Total Package” (Pictured above) include the Ball, the Footballer and Block, and the Quadballer.
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TFS Review: BodyGlide Muscle Formula

Posted December 14th, 2006 at 6:00 AM by Trish Monks

Section: Running & Training, Injury & Rehab, Gear & Apparel, Miscellaneous, Sports Medicine, Special Features, Health & Fitness, Injury & Rehab, TFS Reviews

TFS makes every effort to be unbiased and objective when performing product reviews; often doing double-blind tests to ensure such high standards. However, it should be noted up-front that our team, in general, does not find muscle/heat rubs to be the most effective means of treating muscle soreness, pain, fatigue, etc.

Product: BodyGlide Muscle Formula
Price: $7.99 (1.3 oz), $12.99 (2.5 oz)
Rating: Average 5.85/10.0
Pros: Easy to apply; water & sweat resistant
Cons: Requires a lot to feel an effect; the smell
Overall: If you usually use heat rubs like Icy Hot, then this is a better choice. Otherwise, you’re better off using some combination of massage, heat/ice, stretching and The Stick to treat sore muscles.

Note: Although this review is authored by just one of TFS’s team members, it reflects the cumulative results of the entire groups’ trial.

Effectiveness - 5.5 - Muscle Formula is marketed as being able to help treat and/or address minor pain and soreness. It also claims to aid in the healing process and to improve circulation & muscle and joint flexibility.
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