For marathon runners
Most runners train hard and recover poorly. Tight hip flexors shorten your stride, strain your low back, and build into injury. The Wave was built to fix that.
Thrival Muscle Recovery
A modular deep tissue release tool designed specifically for the psoas and iliacus, the deep hip flexor muscles that tighten with every stride. Lay on the curved Wave tips, let your bodyweight do the work, and feel the release in 60–90 seconds. No hands, no guesswork, no appointment needed.
Only at Dick's Sporting Goods
In selected stores & online · Also at thrival.com
What's in the box
The Wave Attachment ×2
Curved tips engineered for psoas & iliacus release
The Base Board
Foldable, multiple height settings, compact for travel
How to use it
You don't need to know anatomy to do this right. Follow these steps and your body will tell you when you've found the spot.
The problem
"Most runners think tight hips are a stretching problem. They're not. They're a release problem."
Every mile you run, your hip flexors, specifically the psoas and iliacus, fire to drive your leg forward. Over time that repetitive load creates chronic tension deep in the muscle tissue. Stretching gets to the surface. It doesn't reach the root.
That tension doesn't just cause hip pain. It pulls your pelvis out of alignment, strains your low back, shortens your stride, and slows your recovery between runs. Left unaddressed, it turns a minor ache into a training-ending injury.
The fix isn't more stretching. It's sustained, targeted pressure, the same thing a skilled sports therapist uses to manually release the muscle. That's exactly what The Wave is built to do.
Know your anatomy
Where it lives
The psoas runs from your lower spine through your pelvis to your femur. The iliacus lines the inside of your hip bone. Together they are the primary hip flexors, sitting deep beneath layers of tissue that foam rollers and massage guns simply don't penetrate.
Why runners suffer
The hip flexor fires on every single stride. In a marathon that's 35,000+ contractions. Without proper release the muscle stays semi-contracted, pulling on your spine and shortening your stride even when you're standing still.
How release actually works
Sustained pressure on myofascial tissue triggers a neurological response, the muscle gradually lets go. This requires consistent, targeted pressure held for 60–120 seconds. It's the same technique a sports therapist uses manually. The Wave replicates that pressure using your bodyweight.
Post-run routine
Use it within an hour of a long run for best results.
Psoas / iliacus, right side
90 seconds · wave attachment · hip crease
Psoas / iliacus, left side
90 seconds · wave attachment · hip crease
Glute release, right side
60 seconds · wave attachment · upper glute
Glute release, left side
60 seconds · wave attachment · upper glute
Low back release
90 seconds · wave attachment · both sides lumbar
Upper back decompression
60 seconds per level · wave attachment · mid to upper back
Total: ~10 minutes. For guided video routines download the Thrival app.
How it compares
Foam rollers, massage guns, lacrosse balls, none of them were built to reach the psoas with targeted, sustained pressure.
| Feature | The Wave | Foam Roller |
|---|---|---|
| Reaches psoas | ✓ | ✕ |
| Reaches iliacus | ✓ | ✕ |
| Adjustable settings to fit everyBODY | ✓ | ✕ |
| Effective in releasing multiple muscles | ✓ | Surface only |
| Hands-free use | ✓ | ✓ |
| Sustained targeted pressure | ✓ | ✕ |
| Feature | The Wave | Foam Roller | Massage Gun | Lacrosse Ball |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reaches psoas | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ |
| Reaches iliacus | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ |
| Adjustable settings to fit everyBODY | ✓ | ✕ | Limited | ✕ |
| Effective in releasing multiple muscles | ✓ | Surface only | ✓ | Limited |
| Hands-free use | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | ✓ |
| Sustained targeted pressure | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ | Partial |
What runners are saying
★★★★★
"I have horrible, aching, nagging hip and sciatic pain. Figured I would try this but did not give it much weight. I did the psoas and iliacus positions and instantly had relief. I could actually walk up the stairs with 90% less pain and tightness after just one stretch session. I cannot wait to try all the other positions."
★★★★★
"The most effective stress and pain relief for my lower back that I have experienced. After years of sports and weightlifting I have always struggled with lower back pain. There’s nothing else quite like it that relieves my pain like the thrival wave."
★★★★★
"The Thrival Wave is impressive. I have always had a hard time getting into the psoas area of the hip and after using it for two days, the stiffness was alleviated by at least 50%, and that was after two days. I look forward to using this regularly."
Common questions
Deep tissue release involves discomfort, but there's a clear difference between productive pressure and pain. Most people describe it as a "good hurt," similar to a firm sports massage. You control how much bodyweight you apply, so start lightly and work into it. If something feels sharp or shooting, ease off and adjust position.
For runners in active training, 3–5 times per week is ideal, especially after longer runs. On rest days a shorter 5-minute session before bed works well. The muscle needs consistency to stay released; occasional use won't get you the same results as regular maintenance.
The package includes the Thrival release board and the Wave attachment ×2. The board folds in half for compact storage or travel. Additional attachments, the Arch, Bullseye, and Ballhead, are available separately on thrival.com to expand what you can target.
Absolutely. Hip flexor tightness is extremely common in anyone who sits for long periods. If you have low back pain, tight hips, or anterior pelvic tilt, The Wave can help regardless of whether you run or not.
Significantly. Foam rollers are great for surface tension but can't hold sustained pressure on a specific deep point. Massage guns vibrate rather than hold, which doesn't trigger the same myofascial release response. The Wave does one thing those tools can't: reach deep, hold still, and let your nervous system do the work.
Thrival has a 30-day return policy from the date of delivery by carrier (typically UPS or USPS) to purchaser.
Eligible returns must:
Thrival
115 Grey Owl Lane
Somers, MT 59932
Once the return is received and checked for damage, the full refund will be initiated within 1-2 days, and it may take 5-7 additional days for the refund to show-up on the card used for the purchase.
Please note that Thrival does not provide Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA) numbers.
Warranty
Thrival commits to a lifetime warranty for all its current products. Thrival products are primarily made with ABS plastic which is very durable, strong and long-lasting. The likelihood of a Thrival product breaking is very low. If one should break, please take pictures and email them along with your contact information to customer.service@Thrival.com.
Made in the USA
Since 2023, Thrival products have been 100% Made in the USA. When we initially started shipping some of our products in early 2021, our initial batch of products were injection molded in Taiwan or China but assembled in the USA. By 2023, all our products were manufactured and assembled in the USA. Our products have always been designed in the USA.
If you have any questions regarding the origin of our products please feel free to contact the owners at customer.service@Thrival.com or by using https://thrival.com/contact/.
