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Help Relieve Tight Muscles With One Tool
Thera Cane Owner's Manual
Usage Ideas and Exercises
Thera Cane is a self massager used to apply pressure to sore muscles. The unique design of the Thera Cane lets you apply deep pressure massage to hard to reach areas of your body on your own.
THE THERA CANE WAS DEVELOPED by a chronic pain patient to help relieve his own discomfort resulting from neck surgery and a herniated disc in his back. By using the Thera Cane along with a daily stretching routine he has obtained long lasting relief.
THE LEVERAGE MAKES IT EASY TO USE!
POSITION YOUR HANDS AND CANE as shown in illustration #1, with the ball in place on top of your shoulder. Next, push both your hands straight down while at the same time pushing outward with your right hand 1 to 2 inches. Your left arm is held in close to your side and remains motionless. Once sufficient pressure is attained move your left arm back and forth so the applicator ball, along with your skin, slides across the muscle. This pressure should be contained within an area the size of a quarter. The more concentrated the pressure, the more effective the response.
Now look at illustration #2. By resting your forearm on the upper handle you are able to relax your left arm muscles and achieve the same pressure. Proper leverage reduces excessive hand and arm movement and makes the Thera Cane easier to use. The technique of using leverage is easy to learn after some practice.
Be patient and follow the illustrations and instructions.
KEEP THE BALL IN CONTACT WITH YOUR BODY in order to maintain control of the Thera Cane and prevent it from slipping off the muscle. You will have control when your skin is depressed enough from the pressure to follow the movement of the ball across the muscle.
BEGIN WITH LIGHT PRESSURE and short periods of use as your muscles will require a breaking in period. A few minutes work on one or two troublesome points is sufficient. People enjoy using the Thera Cane so much that they tend to overdue it at first. If you do you may temporarily hurt more than you did to begin with. This added discomfort will go away after a restful sleep and certainly within 12-36 hours. The following day it will be helpful and soothing to work on the same area using a lighter touch. In addition, gentle stretching, an ice pack or perhaps a hot bath will make you feel better. With experience you will be able to use more pressure and enjoy extended periods of use.
Prior to using the Thera Cane, stretch your muscles to help in locating areas of tenderness. When using the Thera Cane try to place a stretch on the muscle you are applying pressure to. This will assist you in defining the specific area of tenderness in the muscle. Also, soaking in a hot bath before using the Cane will allow deeper pressure without the residual soreness.
BY USING THE THERA CANE from the three basic positions (standing, sitting and lying down), for one particular point, you are able to access the muscle from the most angles possible. This thorough approach will increase the likelihood of obtaining the proper angle of penetration to relieve the trigger point.
THE LEVEL OF PRESSURE WILL DEPEND upon the application. For example, back muscles need more pressure than forearm muscles. A level of pressure midway between painful and pleasurable (“hurts so good”) is suggested after the breaking in period. A p p l y pressure gradually increasing it as you work the ball into the muscle. If the tenderness decreases while pressing, press harder or move the ball slightly to relocate the most sensitive part of the trigger point. If a muscle is extra tender, work on the surrounding area before zeroing in on the more sensitive spot.
- While applying adequate pressure slowly move the ball back and forth across the trigger point. A gentle wiggle helps to burrow into the muscle.
- Press directly on the trigger point and hold for five to ten seconds, release and repeat a few times. It is advisable to avoid this technique for the front and side of the neck muscles since this area is very easy to overdue (use your fingers for these areas). This method is more suited for areas of thick muscle mass and only after becoming familiar with your own pressure limits.
- A systematic approach regardless of the technique used will heighten your awareness and give you the best results.
STRETCHING IT FEELS GOOD...NATURALLY!
It is never to late to start stretching. In fact, the older we get, the more important it becomes to stretch on a regular basis. The basic method of stretching is the same regardless of differences in age and flexibility. Stretching properly means that you do not go beyond your own comfortable limits.
HIP & GROIN
Relax with knees bent and soles of your feet together. Hold for 30 seconds. Let the pull of gravity do the stretching.
HIP & GROIN
Move leg forward until the knee of the forward leg is directly over the ankle. Your other knee rests on the floor. Next, lower the front of your hip downward for the stretch. Hold for 30 seconds, alternate & repeat.
BACK & LEGS
Keep your head down and your lower back flat. Pull your knee to your chest and hold for 20 seconds. Variation: Pull your knee across your body toward opposite shoulder. Hold for 20 seconds, alternate and repeat.
Stretching for 10-30 minutes in the evening is a good way to keep your muscles well tuned, so you feel good the next morning. If you have any tight areas, or soreness, stretch these areas before retiring and feel for yourself the difference in the morning. If you don’t have much uninterrupted time available, use short periods of stretching (5 minutes) every few hours. This will help you to feel good throughout the day.
IT IS BETTER TO UNDER-STRETCH THAN TO OVERSTRETCH
UPPER & LOWER BACK
Sit with your right leg straight. Cross your left leg over and rest it outside your right knee. Bend your right elbow and rest it just above the knee. Next, with your left hand resting behind you, slowly turn your head to look over your left shoulder and at the same time rotate your upper body toward your left hand and arm.
Hold for 15 seconds, alternate and repeat.
LOW BACK & TOP OF HIP
1. Bring your knees together and rest your feet on the floor. Interlace your fingers behind your head and rest your arms on the floor.
2. Lift the left leg over the right leg. Use the left leg to pull right leg to floor.
3. Pull downward until you feel a good stretch along the side of hip or the lower back. Repeat stretch for the other side.
Variation: To create opposite tension. Hold down the right leg with the left leg and attempt to lift the right leg. By resisting with the left leg you create a stretch using opposite tension.
Get used to doing variations of basic stretches. In each variation you will use your body in a different way. You will become more aware of all the stretch possibilities when you change the angles of the stretch tension, even if the changes are very slight.
TRIGGER POINTS DEVELOP AS A RESULT of muscular injuries, strains and trauma. Additionally, structural imbalances, improper body mechanics, poor nutrition and mental or emotional stress are all factors. When muscle fibers, fascia, ligaments or tendons become weakened, overstretched or inflamed, tiny tears in the associated soft tissue can occur. As the tissue heals it contracts, becoming twisted and knotted. These knotted fibers restrict the fresh blood supply needed by the muscle cells. In addition there is often a shortening of the muscle fiber to protect itself from
further injury. In effect, the muscle learns to avoid pain and guards against it by limiting its movement. This results in a loss of range of motion of the joint and the probability that the muscle and associated structures will develop trigger points. Skeletal muscle, the largest single organ of the human body accounts for 40% or more of body weight. As reported there are 200 paired muscles, a total of 400 muscles, any one of which can develop myofascial trigger points. The circles on the outline of the body form represent points located on the side of the body
Body form outline reprinted with permission of Williams & Wilkins.
ACUTE PAIN RESULTS FROM ONE TIME
sudden physical trauma including; auto accidents (whiplash), falls, improper lifting, sudden twisting or turning movements and excessive or unusual exercise. These types of injuries if minor, will usually resolve themselves with a few days rest and avoidance of further aggravation. Once the injuries have healed, stretching and strengthening exercises are necessary to recondition and restore the strength and flexibility of the injured muscle or joint. The associated trigger point(s) must also be inactivated once the injury has healed. If not treated effectively, a cycle of increasing pain, muscle spasm and loss of function can occur and develop into a chronic condition.
TRIGGER POINTS ARE FOUND WITHIN A hard, rope-like or knotted band of muscle. You will know when you have found one as it will be very sensitive to the touch. By sensing this tenderness you are given an opportunity to become aware of it and to consider it’s cause. Muscles involved in past surgeries tend to have painful trigger points as do muscles located around the joints. Some points, particularly those between the shoulder blades will be instinctively located, while others may require a bit of detective work on your part. Gentle stretching of your muscles on a regular basis will provide you with the clues needed to help you help yourself. Make the necessary commitment to personal wellness today.
Most muscles and trigger points are paired. A point on the right side of your body has a corresponding point on the left side. Normally the most tender of these parallel points or muscles will be on the same side that’s painful. Pressure applied to this side will usually give the most relief. For best results, however, pay equal attention to points on both sides of your body.
CHRONIC PAIN RESULTS FROM PAST injuries and from numerous, uncorrected and underlying causes. Usually it is the initial trauma that initiates trigger point activity in a muscle, while other factors work together to prolong it. Poor sitting and standing posture, nutritional inadequacies (often vitamin B1, B6 and B12), postural and mechanical stress allow pain to continue for months and even years. The description of chronic pain is unique to each individual and may be described as burning, throbbing, stabbing, deep, dull and achy with varying intensities of discomfort. Treatment by your medical practitioner will be necessary to help unravel chronic cycles of pain.
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