[ D1HobbyJogger ]

On a side note, pain and stiffness is often secondary to weakness. These tools are great for getting you to feel better but aren't going to be the cure to your pain. Strengthening muscles that are either weak or neglected and don’t know how to “fire” or “turn on” is what is going to help you stay pain free long term.  Talk to your athletic trainer or physical therapist for an evaluation and rehab plan to find out if you have any weaknesses or imbalances that can be the cause for your pain. But let's hop into it. 

1. Foam Roller

This foam roller has been a popular tool for reducing muscle tension, breaking apart adhesions in the muscle and increasing blood flow to the area to help with healing. Research also suggests that it can help increase flexibility. It is popular in most sports because it is the closest to a massage without needing to schedule or pay for the treatment. They are one of the most effective and cheaper tools you can get for yourself and are easy to carry around on the Go. Or try a foam roller that vibrates. They are believed to also help increase tissue stimulation to increase blood flow, reduce pain and sensitivity and provide a more therapeutic effect. Here is my top pick for foam rollers. 

2. The Stick 

This tool also uses the same idea as foam rolling. Breaking apart adhesions in the muscles to reduce muscle tension and pain, increase flexibility and bring blood flow to the area for healing or to get warmed up for an activity. The stick is great for rolling out your legs and allows you to get the effects and be more lazy but because you need to hold it with two hands, it is harder to get areas like your back or arms without assistance from someone else. When I competed in high school I did not go anywhere without the stick. It was such a popular tool, it would bring me clout since all my teammates would want to use it too. This one is the best one because it is flexible and bendable and bends right on your leg. 

3. Stretch Rope 

This is one of my favorite tools because it allows you to stretch in the easiest, most lazy way possible, it’s affordable and comes in some great colors. 

It would be great to buy a couple in your school colors for a team warm up or cool down routine. Flexibility is a key component of injury prevention. If your body is comfortable and strong in the most flexible positions it is less likely to get hurt when in those positions in your sport. Especially when outside factors are unpredictable.  Hamstring strains are common injuries in football, soccer and hurdling athletes. Because the muscle is forcefully stretched when kicking a ball, extending forward to clear a hurdle or changing directions quickly at full speed. There are a lot of different stretching routines with these that I like. Try out this one! 

4. Compression Boots 

These compression boots have really grown in popularity in the last few years. They are great because you can just sit there and catch up on tik toks, emails or a book while being productive and getting a comfortable massage to your legs. The idea behind them is improving oxygenation and reducing inflammation and muscle mictro-trauma from exercise to help you recover faster. The compression starts at your feet and works its way up to your hips with the idea of flushing out damaged tissue and lactic acid to send it back to the heart. A lot of professional runners use these too because they believe they have a huge impact on their recovery. They are pricy, but they're fun! Buy your Normatec pants here. 

5. Game ready 

Similar to the compression boots, these do the same thing but flush cold water through them. They are growing in popularity for use in recovering for a workout and soreness due to their effect on reducing edema, stimulating blood flow and enhancing therapeutic effects of cold therapy. But ideally, this is used for post-surgical cases and acute injuries when inflammation is high and cold and compression are both great ways to reduce it and reduce pain due to inflammation. I believe that inflammation is good. For day to day soreness and fatigue, inflammation is the natural process your body takes to heal and build up muscle. If you’re icing the muscle to reduce inflammation you won’t get the full benefits from your workout or run for the day because you would be delaying that process with ice. In order to purchase one, you need to reach out to a sales representative for assistance. Click here to learn more. 

6. HyperVolt / HyperIce 

These massage guns are popular tools because they help deliver targeted pulses of pressure that treat the muscles by relieving tension, which will help with flexibility and improve the range of motion of each joint. It is also explained to help accelerate warm up and recovery. This massage gun is my favorite out of all the ones I have tried because it really is the top of the market, it’s durable and I get great results. These massage guns feel great after a long day, tough workout or long run and it’s great when you’re lazy but want to be productive with your health and recovery. You wont regret buying one of these. 

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