Muscles feeling tight? Try rolling it out.
Several years ago I had a job where the majority of my time was spent on injury prevention and pain management. I was working with mechanics who suffered from repetitive stress injuries and chronic muscle fatigue. Office workers were not immune either as they suffered the effects of prolonged sitting in front of a computer oftentimes in poor postural alignment. While a regular full body massage would have been an ideal method to manage pain, the time investment and cost keeps many people from addressing their pain issues. Introducing foam rolling; I never cease to be amazed at how just a little soft tissue therapy for the body can bring immediate relief to tight, sore and irritated muscles. This therapy comes in the form of self massage with various tools. If you’ve been to a gym lately you’ve probably seen some of these tools tucked away in some corner or even observed individuals rolling around on these objects.
To understand how these tools work it’s important to understand the role of fascia and what’s happening underground. Each one of our muscles is surrounded by a thin membrane of connective tissue called fascia. This fascia allows our muscles to slide back and forth smoothly when either contracting or stretching. With any type of trauma to the body whether it be a fall, repetitive stress, prolonged static contractions or overuse from intense exercise, microfibers form in between adjacent layers of connective tissues binding them together which allows healing to take place. The fascia then loses its pliability becoming tight, restricted, and a source of discomfort to the rest of the body. Sometimes called “self myofascial release” this can help return our fascia to a normal healthy state allowing the body to move more freely, unrestricted and pain free. Imagine a knit sweater that has a loose thread and when you attempt to pull it out the surrounding fibers also get drawn in to the point of dysfunction or injury so to speak. The human body responds very much in the same way.
There are numerous therapeutic tools you can use to relieve sore muscles from these stressors. Among them are foam rollers, smooth or spiky balls of various sizes, massage sticks, thera-canes, and even electric powered massage devices. The idea is to smash out the muscle fibers and fascia that get conglomerated together causing nerve irritation and restrictions. By breaking up scar tissue and smoothing out this tissue into a more uniform natural alignment, almost immediate relief is found and normal movement patterns can be resumed with little to no pain. Which tool you use depends on the muscle group you’re trying to address and how much pain you are in? For large muscles such as the glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps and back muscles, a foam roller works very well. For smaller or hard to reach areas such as the forearms, shoulders, triceps or feet, a smaller size ball may better address these muscles. There are tons of tutorials online demonstrating how to use these tools. Simply type in the search engine what muscle group you want to work on along with the key phrase “soft tissue therapy”. This may become a huge source of relief as you discover the power of self-massage. Some call this the poor man’s massage. The investment is minimal when you consider the one-time cost for your tools and a 5 to 10 minute session. Foam rollers can be purchased online or in the sporting goods department of your favorite big store. Tennis balls work well as do rolling pins. My first tool was homemade – a PVC pipe rolled up in a yoga mat and duck taped down. I’ve also discovered various size and density balls in the toy department for kids or pets. As with any exercise or stretching program make sure you have the green light from your primary health provider. May you find relief for your sore and achy muscles.