Are you waking up with stiff, sore muscles? Suddenly unable to touch your toes? Maybe your flexible hips and back suddenly feel like they’re full of knots, aching and burning as you try to get through once-simple tasks. It’s possible scar tissue and muscle adhesions are the root cause of your problems.
Sidekick, a company that makes a leading line of muscle recovery tools, offers a product to help. The Sidekick tool, Curve Muscle Scraper, might be exactly what you need to kick your chronic pain to the curb for good.
In this article, we’ll explore these topics:
- What comes with the Sidekick Curve Muscle Scraper?
- Who should use the Curve Muscle Scraper?
- What are muscle adhesions?
- What is muscle scraping?
- Is the scraper easy to use?
- What’s the difference between the Curve and other Sidekick Muscle Scrapers?
- Do I need to buy a scraper to get results?
What comes with the Sidekick Curve Muscle Scraper?
When you buy your Curve, you’ll receive one hand-carved Bian Stone muscle scraper. You’ll also receive a tube of Oasis Roller Gel to apply before you begin scraping. This 100% all-natural gel provides the perfect amount of slip so your tool will glide comfortably.
If you upgrade to the pro version, you’ll also receive a protector case, a cleaning towel, and a 3-year warranty. For an extra $20, the pro option feels like a good deal, especially as the upgraded warranty even covers accidental chipping.
Who should use the Curve Muscle Scraper?
The Curve is an ideal product for anyone suffering from chronic muscle soreness. If you have knots or trigger points, adhesions, scar tissue, or damage from past injuries, it can provide you with relief by offering an at-home, manual alternative to deep tissue massage.
What are muscle adhesions?
Adhesions are scar tissue. Just as the name implies, scar tissue can adhere (or become stuck) to muscles, tendons, and ligaments. This happens after a soft tissue injury. As the injured site heals, scar tissue forms. When left unattended, the scar tissue disrupts the long, smooth bands of muscle or connective tissue, limiting its ability to move and stretch.
Soft tissue injuries often result in unresolved inflammation, trigger points in compensating areas, and an all-around decrease in range of motion.
Thankfully, it’s possible to break up adhesions through the process of scraping so you can regain your mobility.
What is muscle scraping?
Also known as Gua Sha, muscle scraping is an ancient Chinese massage technique that, first and foremost, improves blood flow to the areas where it’s used. In western culture, Gua Sha is often referred to as the Graston Technique.
When muscle scraping is performed, a small tool or stone is used to apply pressure in various directions and strokes across adhesions in soft tissue. This scraping technique breaks the adhesions up, essentially removing them from the soft tissue, and washes them away.
Is the sidekick scraper easy to use?
The Curve offers an excellent user experience, due mostly to its length and shape. What’s unique about Sidekick scrapers is that they are designed with contours of various sizes and angles. This lets you easily massage small parts of the body like wrists and knees, delicate places like under your shoulder blade, and larger muscle groups like your calves, hamstrings, or lower back.
While the Curve is described as an upper-body muscle massage tool, there’s no reason it can’t be used on the entire body.
Simply hold the scraper in your palm and begin using long, deep strokes across your muscles, being careful to avoid boney areas. Adhesions and trigger points will appear as red, blotchy areas on your skin. Use the contours of your scraper to scrape the damaged soft tissue. With consistent use, the Curve will break down the adhesions, giving you back your healthy muscle tissue.
While muscle scraping can be mildly uncomfortable at times, it will also increase blood flow and can even feel relaxing while decreasing stiffness and soreness, much like a deep tissue massage.
You can use your scraper after your workout or shower. For best results, use when muscles are warm.
What’s the difference between the Curve and other Sidekick Muscle Scrapers?
The Curve is made of Bian Stone, an ancient stone often touted for its legendary ability to generate energy waves. Other scrapers in Sidekick’s line are the Swerve, Echo, Eclipse, and Bow.
The Swerve and Echo are similar to the Curve in size and shape but are made of stainless steel. The cheapest of the bunch, the stone-carved Curve potentially offers the most comfortable grip of the three.
The Eclipse and Bow are shaped significantly different, lending less towards an all-purpose scraper. Each is specifically designed to be used on certain muscle groups and specific areas of the body.
The Curve’s attractive price point, the flexibility of use, and ergonomic design make it one of the best options for manual home massage tools on the market.
Do I need to buy a scraper to get results?
Of course, there are alternatives to muscle scraping. Massage guns, acupuncture, chiropractic care, deep tissue massage, myofascial release, and many other treatments offer relief and sometimes a lasting decrease in muscle tension.
However, many of these therapies often require ongoing care that can become expensive and time-consuming. Physical therapy, for example, can be an effective way of managing soft tissue injuries. Treatments, however, can exceed the $100 a session mark, making it an unrealistic option for many.
The affordability of at-home muscle scraping makes it a great option for everyone. It’s also easy to take on the go and can be used everywhere – even at the gym or office. If you’re on a tight budget and looking for the cheapest option for relief, check out this product on Amazon that’s similar to sidekick tool.
The Final Word: Should You Buy The Sidekick Tool?
The Curve has plenty of pros and almost no cons. The stone can be delicate, but otherwise, it’s a safe way to help get your soft tissue into a healthier state. Using the Curve has proven to provide users with less pain and more flexibility. And hundreds of 5-star reviews will attest that buyers are abundantly happy with their purchase.
The Curve is an excellent option for an at-home tool that will help you feel great! Easy to use, effective, and extremely affordable; the Curve should be your next go-to product for easing your muscle pain and supporting your overall health and wellness.
