I “met” Erson through Twitter a while back. We quickly bonded over manual therapy, rock climbing, and kids. We share a similar eclectic approach to treatment, and a love for learning and teaching. When I realized that Erson was the man behind The Edge, I felt like I had met a rock star. When he asked me to review The Edge, I was happy to oblige.
I have to say that my preferred method of instrument assisted manual therapy these days is dry needling; but, I do hands on manual therapy with each patient before and after dry needling. I also use manual trigger point therapy along with other techniques with patients who decline dry needling. One of the reasons I became interested in dry needling was that I have very hypermobile joints in my fingers, and have suffered with joint pain after years of doing manual therapy. The needles allow me to reach deep taut bands without causing strain on my hands.
Now that I have The Edge, I can utilize another effective tool to save my hands. The Edge has the advantage of different sized convex surfaces which allow the therapist to begin treatment on a more superficial level and progress deeper as the tissue allows. The smaller areas can be used for more focused work around bony prominences or taut bands. With experience, the therapist can begin to feel the tissue through the movement of the tool, as the tissue is assessed and treated simultaneously.
The Edge is slim enough to fit in my bag and easily cleaned between patients. The design makes it easy to hold and maneuver. It is made to last a long time, and it is much more reasonably priced than many other instruments on the market.
An added benefit I have noticed is that while dry needling is usually not appropriate to use with school aged children, The Edge offers a non-invasive, effective treatment for sports injuries sustained by 10-14 year olds. My kids beg me to work on them with The Edge after sports practice and games to relieve sore, tight muscles.
Erson has many videos demonstrating techniques to use with The Edge. You can read his blog and find out more about The Edge at http://www.themanualtherapist.
