P-Knot: Leading Healthy Lives

Ethan Plante’s passion is to educate people to help them lead healthy lives through mind, body and (especially) spirit. His massage roller, the P-Knot, is his tool.

Massage rollers have become a popular staple at the gym (it’s rare that I don’t see someone using a roller while I’m there), and there are all sorts of roller quality levels. The P-Knot seems to be at the top tier of quality. Created and designed by Plante, who has degrees in exercise physiology and pain management, the P-Knot is shaped to help stretch and recover muscles, depending on user need.  It’s peanut-shaped and looks similar to two softballs fused together with space in the middle that is used for leverage.

The P-Knot has multiple uses, and Plante is all about educating people on the multiple benefits of this product. Helping sore muscles is just the beginning. Self Myofascial Release (SMR) is the process of relaxing muscles by means of self-massage. This is the building block of the P-Knot. Plante, who has a BS and CSCS in exercise physiology and pain management, has created a plethora of exercises and movements with the P-Knot, most of which are on his YouTube channel (he produces the videos in his apartment in Hope Artiste Village, which also serves as his studio, office and manufacturing space). He stresses that the three areas that should be focused on daily are the feet (which he calls the “foundation” of the human body), butt and back, and suggests that spending five minutes daily on these three areas will make a world of difference. Plante will work with people one-on-one in his space to teach them how to use the P-Knot to best fit their needs.

The P-Knot business is currently going through a metamorphosis, as Plante’s partners decided to move onto other endeavors. This left Plante, who was focusing on the education portion of the company, in charge of all aspects of the P-Knot. His team now consists of a few eager interns and his pets, Mr. Butters the cat and Makisupa, a rescue dog he calls Maki. Calling it “P-Knot puberty,” Plante started from square one. Through trial and error, he discovered ways to produce the P-Knot more efficiently. He currently has six molds, and is in the process of creating a schedule with the hope of building P-Knots 24/7.

“Manufacturing, inventory and sales are priority,” Plante said. He discussed plans to build his inventory to be able to handle bulk orders immediately.

Creating a product can lead to waste because there are extras that aren’t a part of the finished product. While some companies bring their waste straight to the dumpster, Plante makes it a point not to waste anything. He saves everything, even if he isn’t quite sure what to do with it, as he knows there will be a use for it down the line. He donates material that he knows he can’t use. “I want to be green as much as I can,” Plante stated.

Though starting again was a bit of a blow, Plante remained positive and embraced his new role. P-Knot is now his baby, and he is able to do things his way. He feels that the right people will come at the right time and the right things will happen. He has big plans for his company, all of which will be built around educating people on the importance of taking care of their body and how the P-Knot can be the tool for that.

He says that everyone gets hurt, regardless of what they do for a living. It doesn’t matter if the person is an athlete, a bus driver or an office worker who sits down most of the day. He wants to make people aware of and understand their specific injury and how it can be healed and prevented.

“I’m in this to educate people,” Plante said before spending about 45 minutes teaching me various exercises to do with the P-Knot. While it was painful at times, I immediately felt looser and more relaxed. He gave me a P-Knot and urged me to actually use it, which I continue to do, reaping its benefits.

P-Knot, Hope Artiste Village, 1005 Main St, Pawtucket. p-knot.com