Instantly improve your overall function in 5 minutes or less!
By simply performing a few techniques on a foam roll, you can instantly help correct muscle imbalances, ↑ joint ranges of motion, ↓ muscle soreness, ↓ joint stress, reduce overuse injuries, and improve flexibility, function, and performance. Doesn't that sound too good to be true? The great thing is....it's not! All of those things can be improved!
Through exercise (or prolonged sedentary behavior) our muscles can develop knots or lesions which create tension and physically shorten our muscle tissue. This would be like taking a rubber band and tying a knot in it, shortening the overall length which prevents it to work 100% efficiently. Self-myofascial release is the process of turning off our nervous system to 'release' the tensed muscle and accompanying connective tissue. It is really the same concept as a deep-tissue massage, only it's performed using your own body-weight.
Many times we don't even know these knots are there because they are hard to detect unless physically massaging the muscle, in which case the muscle might feel bumpy like a 'washboard'. These knots can lead to muscle tissue overload, early fatigue, dysfunctional movement patterns, and injuries. If we can reduce this muscle tension and help restore our muscles to their normal muscle length, we will immediately improve our function.
Roll away your pain!
By using your own body weight on a foam roll, you can release these knots.
- Roll on each muscle until pain is reported, then STOP rolling and REST on the painful area for 30-60 sec. (holding longer on more painful areas)
- Continued rolling when pain is present can actually increase tightness and pain
- After 30-60 sec., move on to another spot or another muscle.
- The intensity of painful knots, and the number of them in the muscle will tell you about the quality of that tissue….the more you have, and the more painful it is, the less efficient your body is currently operating.
- If pain is too intolerable, don’t give up…consistent use over time with the foam roll will decrease the tenderness and slowly restore normal muscle length.
This really does work! I had several painful knots in my IT band and around the outside of my knee. Using the foam roller and deep-tissue massage, I am almost pain free. What a miracle piece of equipment the foam roller is! Using it is painful at first, but stick with it.
ReplyDelete