TEMU Fascia Blade (/muscle scraper)
Author: Ferenc Soma Kovács (middle-distance runner of the SVSE national team, World Championship participant and European Championship bronze medalist)
First of all, why is it important for you as a runner to regularly exfoliate your connective tissue layer (fascia)?
Fascia, or the connective tissue layer, plays a key role in the body’s movement and health. As a runner, maintaining your fascia is especially important because intense and repetitive movements put a lot of strain on this tissue. First, fascia can become stiff due to overuse or lack of movement, which can limit the range of motion of your muscles and joints. Loosening it helps maintain optimal flexibility and allows for easier, more efficient movement. Second, stiff and tight fascia increases the risk of injuries such as muscle strains, tendonitis, and stress fractures. Loosening your fascia reduces tightness and provides a more even load distribution in your muscles and joints. Third, running can cause microtrauma to your muscles and fascia, which can lead to inflammation and pain. At the same time, loosening the fascia stimulates blood circulation, which helps reduce inflammation, deliver oxygen and nutrients to the affected areas, and accelerate regeneration. But then how can you actively work towards a flexible and healthy fascia? In addition to proper hydration, roll regularly with an SMS roller (foam rolling)! Surely you also have many runner friends who, in addition to stretching, take 5-10 minutes to roll after a run. However, in Hungary, I have not yet met many runners who use fascia release devices, even though they are increasingly popular in the United States, for example. However, these fascia release devices are real secret miracle weapons. This article will reveal why.
History
I follow Olympic bronze medalist marathon runner Molly Seidel on social media, who is the ambassador for a muscle scraper from a company called Side Kick. I first saw this recovery tool on Molly’s Instagram page. You should know that I like to try a little trick every year, both in terms of diet and recovery. So in 2024, I decided to give the fascia knife a try and give it a try. The $135 price tag for the Side Kick fascia scraper package was a bit of a turn-off. Although the package includes a protective case, a fascia knife, and 68 milliliters of skin protection gel, the price was still too much for me. So I decided to go to good old Temu and order a fascia knife from there.
About the TEMU Fascia Blade itself in a nutshell
I finally managed to get a fascia blade mini kit for $4.75, which included 2 blades and a cheap brown fabric case. Both blades are stainless steel. One blade has two different curves on each end, so it can be used on different parts of the body, while the other is shaped like an almost symmetrical boxer. The mini kit does not include any creams or gels to protect the skin.
My experiences
Although fascia knife peeling is not yet an integral part of my daily “mobility routine”, I often use fascia knives, especially in the evenings, before going to bed. It helped me a lot when I had shin splints, as it minimized the regeneration time. The only drawback of the product was that the package did not contain a skin protection gel. The deeper you penetrate into your muscles and the more intensively you peel the connective tissue layer, the more you irritate your skin. That is why it is worth applying some kind of cream to your skin before the treatment, as the cream prevents skin irritation. For example, I recommend black nightshade cream, as it also significantly reduces inflammation.
Final Judgment
It is definitely worth getting a fascia knife set, as it really helps prevent injury and recover from it as soon as possible. At the same time, there is no need to choose the more expensive ones, as they are hardly any better in quality. And the price of cheap temus sets for 4-6 dollars is so low that you don't even have to consider it when buying...