Runners
HOW THE SACRO WEDGY® RELATES TO RUNNERS AND ATHLETES
Tightness of the muscles in the back and hip area often cause stress related injuries for a runner. The SACRO WEDGY® gives you a tool to use on a regular basis to help keep these muscles relaxed and the sacrum stabilized. Knee pain is common and at some time, will occur in most runners. Injuries often start with a very slight misalignment in the hips sometimes caused by running on uneven surfaces or a variety of situations. It may not hurt enough to be alarming however, it is enough to start the snowball effect. (The sartorius muscle joins the hip to the knee.)
Think of the knee joint as the back wheel of a bicycle. The back wheel, by itself, has no capability of changing direction. The only way in which the bike can turn is through the combined effort of turning the front wheel and banking the turn with the entire bicycle. The human analogy to the front wheel is the hip joint. The hip joint changes body direction as the entire body tilts to adjust the center of gravity. (The piriformis and psoas muscles attach to the hip). If the muscles around the hips are relaxed and the hips are properly balanced and aligned, the wheels turn properly.
This is true for all track and field events as well as any running or
athletic event. The SACRO WEDGY® gives the athlete a balanced feeling, which is important in all sports. It is also small enough to put in your carry bag so you can use it at the competition site as well as all traveling situations (hotels, dorms, etc.). It is a great aid for warm-up and warm-down routines.
TESTIMONIAL FROM RUNNER
Email from May 14, 2003
Dear Mr. Ballis:
We are writing you again to update you on Marcel's progress with his running thanks to the help of the Sacrowedgy. I have to admit, stepping over him every morning while he's on the floor doing his stretch with his Sacrowedgy, it gives me a thrill to know that he gets to keep running and doing the physical activity he does because of that weird little blue thing he's laying on. He just ordered me my own! I can't wait to use it! However, we've hit another snag in the road. While surfing your site, I noticed that one of your clients used it to sit on during long plane trips and it showed the Sacrowedgy sitting in a chair, so after hearing him complain that his back was bothering him after sitting at work for 8 hours, I showed him the picture and now he takes it to work with him and it's been working great! He uses the firm elevation pad that you sent him at work to compensate for his squishy chair and he uses the soft one at home! He's got no complaints and he sends you his thanks. However, here's the snag, while packing it the other day to take it to Ottawa for the National Capital Marathon (which he finished in 3 hours and 55 minutes, only 7 minutes off his personal best and finishing in the top 40% of the runners), I noticed that it has started to crack on the inside of the main area and a few small cracks on the outside (I noticed there is a fair sized one near the top on the outside). He's afraid it's going to go on him any day. So I was wondering, how do we go about getting a replacement? I didn't see anything on the website about just ordering the blue part, can you give us some guidance on how to go about getting him another? I know he'll be really cranky if he doesn't have his Sacrowedgy stretch every morning and I'll have to hear him complain about his squishy chair again. Any assistance you can give us will be GREATLY appreciated and by the way, Marcel thanks you profusely for the added elevation pads, they've really made the difference. Next stop, The Whiteface Mountain Uphill Footrace in 3 weeks and we are 4 months away from the Montreal Marathon...we'll let you know how he does! But he isn't doing bad for a guy who in December of 1999 was diagnosed with a L5-S1 disc herniation and also required treatment for his Psoas and Piriformis. At that time, he was told he'd never run again. He just keeps running circles around me and he keeps making me prouder everyday! (But I did walk 6 miles of the 26 he ran last weekend. Someone's got to take the pictures!)
Thanks again.
Sheri Pate (& Marcel Parent training hard in the background)
P.S. Just for fun we've attached the movie of his finish line kick at the NCM. Enjoy!
As Head Track & Field Coach at the University of South Alabama, I have used the Sacro Wedgy® personally and with my athletes. I have been amazed at the improvement in the range of motion, and I am now convinced that the majority of hamstring and lower back problems can be solved with the Sacro Wedgy®.
I coach Jeff Campbell, the only collegiate to make the Senior World Cross Country team. Jeff is on the Sacro Wedgy® before and after each training session. He has always had problems with his lower back, and the Sacro Wedgy® has made it possible for him to train and race faster than he ever has.
Having a Masters degree in Biomechanics, I understand how the body functions mechanically during exercise. If the hips are slightly out of alignment, everything else will be affected - your gait is changed, which will cause several injuries.
The Sacro Wedgy® will definitely effect the performance of the athlete. It is not used more by medical professionals simply because it would put them out of business.
Steve Thomas
Head Track Coach
University of South Alabama