Theracane as deadly weapon?

[londoner]

Hello -

Lately I've been using my Theracane to dig deep into muscles in my abdomen. (check out the top-right of this page to see the thing - it looks a cross between a mediaeval torture instrument and something the plumber carries).

The work is all external, pushing the Theracane into my stomach. I find it quite hard to exert the sort of pressure that a therapist could do, as my body naturally opposes the action. So when I begin a session I'm involuntarily tensing the muscles, to protect them - as you would instinctively resist anything that causes pain.

After several minutes of playing this game with my own muscles, trying to catch them out, eventually they give up and allow me to push the Theracane deeper into the painful areas. I'm not trying to sell anyone a correspondence course in masochism here but - once you get over the idea that it hurts - it does seem to work. After the soreness has worn off my pelvic muscles are - for a while - much improved. I've found that, a couple of days following a Theracane treatment, my libido pops back up and reminds me it's still alive. Reassuring!

A few days ago, spurred on by these rewards, I got quite into the procedure and carried on working the muscles, as usual ignoring the pain of the treatment . Only I did it really hard. Since then all chronic prostatitis / chronic pelvic pain syndrome symptoms have been increased and I'm visibly quite bruised. I expect the chronic prostatitis / chronic pelvic pain syndrome symptoms to wear off, once the soreness caused by the Theracane wears off. Then I'll make sure my girlfriend visits. Romantic, huh?

I just hope I'm not doing myself any damage from this vigorous intervention. I plainly don't really know what I am doing, other than I'm convinced this problem I have has a muscular basis. Is bruising a bad sign, indicating I should not go at it quite so hard?

Any thoughts on this, I'd be interested to hear.


P.S. The manufacturers of the Theracane don't ship to the UK (or they didn't 6 months ago) but the thing is usually available on Ebay for a not unreasonable price. I'd recommend it, not just for chronic prostatitis / chronic pelvic pain syndrome but generally for working on the muscles on your back and elsewhere.

[scotsman]

Is bruising a bad sign, indicating I should not go at it quite so hard?

You're using it too aggressively imho. I'd ease off plus also do some google research into what muscles and internal organs you might be treating or getting close to. It's important to be informed.

Richard.

[alprost]

Be careful using this in your abdomen. If you are too aggersive with it you can damage nerves which then take ages to heal up (yep, I've done this myself). I would only use the Theracane for the parts of your body you cannot reach with your hands - there is just no sensitivity with it. I've been able to treat all of my abdominal trigger points using my hands only. You can actually feel the tight band/hard lump of muscle, and you can feel it release as you treat it.

As I said, there is jut no sensitivity when using a Theracane.

[scotsman]

...I would only use the Theracane for the parts of your body you cannot reach with your hands - there is just no sensitivity with it. I've been able to treat all of my abdominal trigger points using my hands only. You can actually feel the tight band/hard lump of muscle, and you can feel it release as you treat it....

Good point Alan - I use my hands for most of my abdominal treatment for that very reason. I found the Theracane can 'slip' off the bands which can be very painful.

Richard.

[londoner]

Thanks for the advice. I guess, aside from the pain (which is bearable) it feels good in the way that a back-massage on a sore back hurts but in a 'pleasant' way. I was sure I'd read on this forum once before that the Theracane was good for working abdominal muscles but I could easily be mistaken.

At your suggestion, I'll ease off a little and use my hands more. Tempting to beat the f*** out of offending muscles!

[CppsDad]

I've used the Theracane on my abdominals for 18 months now. I push pretty hard, but I don't think I've ever left actual bruises that anyone else could see. You are definitely pushing too hard if that were the case.

Yes, there is a lack of sensitivity with the Theracane, but there's a reason for the tool - it's to be able to push and hold pressure on trigger points for long periods of time. My hands tire out very quickly when pressing on trigger points, so the Theracane is incredibly helpful for that purpose. As long as you tone it down a bit, and are more careful, you should be OK. The tempation is always to want to push it to the limit, but don't do this. Increase your pressure gradually, and watch how your body responds. It doesn't take THAT much pressure on a trigger point to release it.

With that said, I think the Theracane is the biggest reason for my recovery today. It has helped me reduce my abdominal and perineal trigger points tremendously!

Mike

[londoner]

Thanks, Mike. I'll take it easier from now on. However, I'm not sure I'd recognise a trigger point if I found one.

[CppsDad]

However, I'm not sure I'd recognise a trigger point if I found one

It really helps to have a PT tell you what a trigger point is. Bring your Theracane, have them find a trigger point, then press on it with your Theracane so you know what it should feel like.

Also, you'll learn your body over time. Just take it slow, and eventually, you'll recognize sensitive spots better than others. The real tough issue is that trigger points seem to "move around" occasionally, so you have to really pay attention when you are using it.

Mike

[LightningTree]

Two weeks ago I drove a few hours in the car. I usually don't do the driving as it causes me to sit flat on my butt.

Sure enough, I ended up with some (very mild) pain for the next two weeks, weak urine stream etc.

Two nights ago I decided to do some very deep hamstring/adductor stretches on my legs because they were very tight. As I was deeply stretching the hamstring on my left leg, I felt something right underneath my left sit-bone give way in the pelvis. This very slight movement was proceeded by complete relief of my symptoms, including the urine stream weakness.

Very subtle and small muscle changes (trigger points) can have a big impact on your condition. I don't think bruising yourself is the solution.

The trick is to find the points where muscle is in trouble, and the pain is usually refered to some other location in the pelvis. So, in my opinion, its more about experimenting with your pelvis and less about mashing the same location over and over again.

[CppsDad]

Agreed. It's more about angles, stroke types, and consistent pressure than how hard you are pressing. Experiment a lot to find out what works for you. But just pushing as hard as you can may not produce a tangible benefit beyond just solid, medium-scale pushing.

Mike

[chewymix]

Can you please give examples of deep adductor and deep hamstring stretches please. What do you do and how long do you hold for etc.

thanks

[CppsDad]

A good way to do hamstrings is to lay on the floor with your legs up the wall, and then just relax. This is easier than the typical stretch where you bend over, or sit on the floor and lean forward. You can also lay in this position longer.