Blog by Camelia Eisentraut, Registered Massage Therapist (RMT) & Sports Massage Therapy Vancouver Downtown | A.R.T. Provider

What people say about TheraRoll

Camelia Eisentraut — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 21:51:05 -0800

"Is it my imagination or this thing really works?"

Recent feed-back from a Thera Roll user:

Thera Roll foam roller was recommended to me, and I never really thought I would need it as I felt in relatively good health as it was. I finally started using it on my quads and glutes, and after a week of consistent rolling, I can run much longer, feel much more agile and rarely experience knee pains. I’ve since expanded how much I use the roller to my arms, upper back, and I feel much better.

Foam rollers are easily overlooked, but once you feel the benefits you will never want to go without one.

François Chaput - Designer

Relic Entertainment

Thera Roll feed-back

Camelia Eisentraut — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 08:22:56 -0700

One of the many people who tried the Thera Roll foam roller gives her feed-back:

"I have been trying the Thera - Roll for 2 weeks and I would recommend every athlete get one. I took my roller with me on a cycling training weekend and everyone used it. I had a hard time getting it back! The Foam Roller is a great tool for anyone who needs some relief from tight muscles. I have tried many devices designed to help with muscle tightness, but nothing has worked like the Thera-Roll. Thanks Camelia for this mini massager. "

Shayla Roberts - Peak Performance Coach
Evolution Coaching Network

Why I love TheraRoll foam rollers

Camelia Eisentraut — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 23:28:01 -0700

I love TheraRoll. So many reasons why but most important, for me, is that I was able to walk better without a hip pain. My schedule is so full that it makes it difficult to fit in a massage to relieve that pain so I have to rely on the foam roller to do the job. My first roller was a white, classic smooth surface, firm as hell, styrofoam one. It hurt so much I would have rather lived with my own pain than the one inflicted by the roller. Then I took a course in fascial release (fascia=connective tissue). And while following a Physio group on Twitter I stumbled upon TheraRoll talking about the benefits of their foam roller on the fascia and trigger points. I ordered one for myself, and boy, was I ever glad I did that! The difference between TheraRoll and the classic one is that one has ridges: thick, high and with a space between each ridge enough to dig deeper into the muscle and make a difference. Imagine a dough being rolled by a rolling pin with smooth surface; it only compresses and smoothens out the dough. Now imagine the rolling pin with ridges going over the same piece of dough... you got the idea. It mobilizes the muscle and the fascia around, almost like getting a real massage but not competing with your massage therapist. It won't talk to you, educate and advise you on things regarding your overall being, but will keep you mobile and relatively pain free until you see your therapist again :) Because it comes in different sizes and firmness it can be used by a range of people: from young to old, from beginner to expert athlete, from people with low pain tolerance to those who do Ironman or even UFC. It can be used at home, in the gym or even in the office (roll your forearms on your desk with the travel size one). You can take it on your trip: your neck and feet will thank you. I'll leave you thinking of how handy would it be to have one now to roll your IT band on it. I'll go use mine on my back.

TheraRoll - a wonderful tool - review

Camelia Eisentraut — Thu, 26 May 2011 07:28:08 -0700

I am very happy to encourage everyone using the Thera Roll, a different kind of roll. Because the ridges are high and thick enough they are able to penetrate the muscle almost as efficiently as if it`s done by a massage therapist. This doesn`t mean you won`t be needing massage treatments however you will be helping yourself release the stiffness and improve performance in your daily activities-workouts. The different kind of densities allows everyone to use it, even the people who are sensitive to pressure.

Here`s a sample review:

I have been trying the Thera - Roll for 2 weeks and I would recommend every athlete get one. I took my roller with me on a cycling training weekend and everyone used it. I had a hard time getting it back! The Foam Roller is a great tool for anyone who needs some relief from tight muscles. I have tried many devices designed to help with muscle tightness, but nothing has worked like the Thera-Roll. Thanks Camelia for this mini massager!

Shayla Roberts
Peak Performance Coach
Evolution Coaching Network

Thera Roll

Camelia Eisentraut — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 22:21:37 -0700

Moderate to agressive release of sore and fatigued muscles designed for competitive athletes. Comes in soft (blue), firm (purple) and hard (grey) density. The grey (hard) Thera-Roll is ideal for competitive athletes who require a more aggressive release from sore and fatigued muscles.

Made in the USA from the highest quality, durable foam. Thera-Roll's cross-linked foam is easy to clean and sterilize.

Effective for release of the following muscles:

Quadriceps / ITB
Hamstrings
Glutes / Piriformis
Traps / Rhomboids
Rotator Cuff
Calves / Feet
Neck

The patented ribbed design of the Thera-Roll is a potent variation on the traditional Physio Roller. Offering increased penetration of the soft tissue and increased traction allowing the fascia to slide over the adjacent tissue. This encourage tissue rehydration by opening interstitial spaces

Standard rollers only compress muscle fibers, while the unique design of the Thera-Roll gives you more control of the roller position to achieve effective tissue release decreasing pain and stiffness. It mobilises your soft tissue to enable deeper access to muscles, targeting those sore and knotted areas in a more precise way.

Invented, designed and clinically tested by Licensed Physical Therapists.

Stretch it all you want but will it help?

Camelia Eisentraut — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 23:12:03 -0700

Kudos from Ryan Kesler, Vancouver Canucks Centre

Camelia Eisentraut — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 15:56:01 -0800

"I've had a few massages throughout my career and Camelia does exactly what I expected from a sports massage. She's very professional and knows what's needed for an athlete of any level to perform at it's best. I strongly recommend her massage, it helped my game!"

~ Ryan Kesler, Vancouver Canucks

Overtrain=injury

Camelia Eisentraut — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 07:32:07 -0800

Resistance training must go hand in hand with massage, stretching, and rest or you will tend to over-train which leads to injury.

VSM review by Vancouvervida

Camelia Eisentraut — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 22:58:52 -0800

Vancouver Sports Massage founder Camelia Eisentraut is a Registered Massage Therapist with eight years experience, located in downtown Vancouver. She has great references from Olympic athletes to business owners. Camelia was the massage therapist for the Dutch speed skating team during the Vancouver Olympics. Camelia specializes in sports massage which is a great release from stress and muscle tension.

Click here for more:http://www.vancouvervida.com/2010/11/vancouver-sports-massage/

Review by VancouverVIDA.com

Camelia Eisentraut — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 17:21:00 -0800

I was recently "reviewed" by Vancouver Health and Fitness Resource, VancouverVIDA.com. Here's what they had to say:

Vancouver Sports Massage

Sarah Says -

This was my very first sports massage experience and I am glad it was with Camelia. I was not sure what to expect and Camelia made sure to remind me that it is not a relaxation massage and as long as I can breath then she is applying the correct kind of pressure. I might have let out a few high pitch noises now and then when she found a few tender areas, specifically my arms from typing and legs from wearing 4 inch heels daily! During my massage Camelia asked me an important question – if I had coverage with my work to get massages from a RMT? I do, but I told her how I never even think to use it. But after having Camelia work all the kinks out of my body it is very tempting to go back especially when it is paid for by my employee benefits. I am sure I am not the only one not taking advantage of this benefit, so I would highly recommend to those who have coverage, use it and for those who don’t, go ahead and splurge!

My rating for Vancouver Sports Massage is 4/5 for muscle tension release 5/5 for finding those tight spots and 4/5 for the chance of me doing it again.

Shayla Says –

I used to have regular sports massage treatments and I find them extremely beneficial to recover from all my training. Camelia managed to work out more than one tight spot and even found some new ones. She worked through my entire body in one hour and I felt great when it was over. Camelia is really good at getting into your muscle tightness and working it out. Sports massage is meant for improving flexibility and for preventing injuries, especially if you are working out regularly. I would recommend all my clients take advantage of the ability to get regular sports massage. It is a great way to keep relaxed and prevent chronic muscle tightness from becoming an injury. If you are doing repetitive type of training, like training for a marathon or other types of long distance event (or just sitting in front of a computer screen for hours at a time) getting a sports massage is worthwhile. When I was training for my marathons I got a sports massage every week and it made such a difference. Although Camelia’s clientele come from the surrounding businesses as well as athletes, she really understands the nature of sport and how to promote muscle recovery with massage. I would definitely return to Camelia to keep me ready for all my activities.

My rating for Vancouver Sports Massage is 4/5 for muscle tension release 4.5/5 for finding those tight spots and 4.5/5 for the chance of me doing it again.

Parsley and health benefits

Camelia Eisentraut — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 07:03:22 -0800

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=100

Parsley juice

Camelia Eisentraut — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 06:59:48 -0800

My favorite parsley juice: blend 1 bunch of parsley with 1 apple, 1 peeled off lemon, 1tbs greens plus, 5 drops vit D3, 1/2 cucumber (you can always add blueberries, pomegranate or grapefruit) and water. I use a Vitamix blender but any good quality blender should do it. It keeps me going well into early mid afternoon. Refreshing, energizing, detoxifying.

Does stretching before running prevent injuries?

Camelia Eisentraut — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 05:31:35 -0700

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/01/phys-ed-does-stretching-before-running-prevent-injuries/

Tai chi to help fibromyalgia?

Camelia Eisentraut — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 05:20:20 -0700

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/19/health/19taichi.html?_r=1&ref=nutrition

Plantar fasciitis home remedies

Camelia Eisentraut — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 04:38:05 -0700

Plantar fasciitis http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plantar_fasciitis

A massage therapist who specializes in trigger point therapy can be of great help.

Home remedies for plantar fasciitis:

Beggin with massaging the sole of the foot. Then take out the frozen golf or tennis ball. Roll it along the sole of your foot. If the area in pain is larger roll your foot along the frozen tin can, back and forth. This will help reduce inflammation and speed up recovery.

To strenghten the muscles in the area put small objects- pens or pencils- on the floor and pick them up with your toes. Strengthening this muscles will help keep the fasciitis from recurring.

Bending your toes back to the point where you feel a stretch, pull up on your toes, grab just the toes, not the ball of the foot, pull it up towards your shin and towards your knee. Using the other hand, feel the mid arch of the foot. Count to 10 then let go of the stretch. Repeat this 10 times an perform it at least three times a day. This will help keep your feet from tightening.

Muscles - an under-treated cause of pain

Camelia Eisentraut — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 08:39:56 -0700

Muscles have been an under-treated cause of pain. In fact, with a specialized area of medicine for almost every area of the body (heart, eyes, lungs, intestines, kidneys, etc), oddly, there is no muscle specialty in medicine. Myofascial pain from trigger points is often over-looked as a possible source of pain by those seeking relief. The majority of patients seeking relief from pain are still treated with the traditional approach of anti-inflammatory medications, muscle relaxants, anti depressant medications and/or strengthening programs. These prove ineffective if not detrimental as trigger points do not respond to them and may be aggravated further by strengthening exercises. --NAMTP

I love this article! To stretch or not...

Camelia Eisentraut — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 09:38:45 -0700

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/25/phys-ed-how-necessary-is-stretching/

Rhomboid strengthening exercises

Camelia Eisentraut — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 07:32:19 -0700

http://www.physioadvisor.com.au/8292950/rhomboids-exercises-rhomboid-strengthening-exerc.htm

This is great to help counteract the tight pectoralis - greart for people who work at the desk or do activities that require forward rotation of the shoulders.

How massage can correct your posture

Camelia Eisentraut — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 23:15:43 -0700

http://www.bblfinal.com/how-massage-can-correct-your-poor-posture.html

Best exercise for healthy bones

Camelia Eisentraut — Wed, 19 May 2010 07:11:59 -0700

The current state-of-the-science message about exercise and bone building may be that, silly as it sounds, the best exercise is to simply jump up and down, for as long as the downstairs neighbor will tolerate. “Jumping is great, if your bones are strong enough to begin with,” Dr. Barry says. “You probably don’t need to do a lot either.” (If you have any history of fractures or a family history of osteoporosis, check with a physician before jumping.) In studies in Japan, having mice jump up and land 40 times during a week increased their bone density significantly after 24 weeks, a gain they maintained by hopping up and down only about 20 or 30 times each week after that.

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/11/phys-ed-the-best-exercises-for-healthy-bones/