Product Review: Trigger Point Performance Therapy starter kit

I've been using the Grid for a while now, but lately I've been using the Trigger Point Performance Therapy Starter Kit with the aim of reducing areas of tension in the key areas that influence movement quality, especially for running (in the lower limbs, that's mainly the calf (gastrocnemius & soleus) and the glutes (piriformis). So what does that mean? Basically, it means reducing the length/tension relationship in the muscle, thus making the muscle more pliable or elastic (releasing the tension).

I've found that the Trigger Point Performance Therapy Starter Kit is the best package to start with, it allows you to self massage and manage various aches and pains of the body, particularly for us multi-sport athletes who always seem to suffer from aches and pains in the feet, achilles tendon, calf and glutes. For me personally, my achilles and calf muscles have never felt better!

This kit is definitely worth checking out, I know I'll be looking at their other sets soon, particularly the one which includes the kit for the quads and hamstrings (they call it the quad-baller). Check out the main Trigger Point Performance Therapy website for more information on the whole range of products and some great videos on how to use them effectively.

Trigger Point Performance: The Grid

The Grid from Trigger Point Performance Therapy is my toy! OK, it's not a toy, it's a revoluntionarly foam roller, you know the kind of thing, the tube shaped piece of foam that looks like a kids swimming float that runners use on themselves to make them cry!!! Traditionally, foam rollers are used to treat common running issues like iliotibial band syndrome, piriformis syndrome and plantar fasciitis.

As you can see from the photo below, the Grid has a hard hollow shell (so doesn't lose its shape like a traditionally foam roller) covered in a patterned EVA foam, whose patterns provide a different feel on the body depending on the pattern you use. Due to the faster running training I've been doing lately I've been using it a lot on my calves and glutes as these have been very tight of late and the Grid helps to stretch these muscles and ease out the tight spots.

The Grid has a series of DVD's too (which you have to purchase separately) which act as a guide to using the Grid as a tool for core strengthening exercises (whilst massaging you at the same time), with some of them being very similar to pilates exercises. I've been incorporating these exercises into my routine too and have found them very beneficial, I can feel the difference in only a week or so. 

It's portable too, it's a small roller, less than half of the length of traditional rollers, so fits neatly into your bag when travelling (which I'm doing a lot of lately too!). It's a great bit of kit and for £40 I'd say it was a bargain! Check out the main Trigger Point Performance Therapy website for more information on the products and some great videos on how to use them effectively.

Trigger Point Performance comes to Vale Sports Therapy

Trigger Point Performance Therapy comes to south Wales with Vale Sports Therapy! So what's it all about?

Trigger Point Performance Therapy products allow you to self massage in a safe and effective way, on a daily basis! It's about empowering yourself and using the products to facilitate optimum functioning of soft tissues and help manage aches and pains associated with the muscles that allow the body to move.

The Trigger Point Performance products are specifically designed to support Myofascial Release, which refers to the manual massage technique for stretching the fascia and releasing any "stickiness" between the fascia and the muscles. The goal of which is to provide a more elastic soft tissue that has the capacity to withstand force and generate power.

Whether you're a serious athlete or a weekend warrior, the Trigger Point Therapy products can help to reduce back pain, plantar fasciitis, shin splints, knee pain and more.

The range of Trigger Point Performance kits will be available soon, for information check out the main Trigger Point Therapy website at www.tptherapy.com or our friends at Balance Physiotherapy.