The idea that people carry
themselves in layers is more than just a psychological metaphor. Anatomically speaking we are composed of
layers of specialized tissues that help us function in the surrounding environment. For a visual, imagine
a textbook-human body (no need to get too detailed here). If we begin to peel
away the layers of this body we’ll find that once we get past the protective layers
of the skin and adipose tissue things get a little less porous and a little more
fibrous. This is where we run into the
body’s deeper layer of protection known as the fascia. Fascia is a type of connective tissue that
wraps over the softer structures of the body (e.g. muscles and organs). In short, it helps to keep everything from
splaying out like threads from a stripped cable wire. It also allows for smooth movement of the
structures beneath the skin. Now for a cleaner visual picture an orange. If
we peel away the rind we’re left with several sections still held together by a
thin layer of tissue like fascia. Then
if we pull off a slice to eat there is yet another thin layer of skin encasing
the carpels (i.e. juice sacs) and seeds.
People have different layers of fascia like an orange has different
layers of protective skin. Some fascia functions to hold muscle fibers together while elsewhere fascia
functions to protect and lubricate vital organs.
Since fascia functions similarly
to other connective tissues it responds to stress in the same way. Too much trauma on a particular area oftentimes
causes the surrounding fascia to stiffen up and develop adhesions, which are
like knots in a net. This can result in feelings
of chronic stiffness, pain, and tightness.
The fascia is simply reacting to the stress in order to protect the underlying
structures from further damage.
Unfortunately, this natural casting process limits mobility and thus
strength in the affected areas. Physiological
responses to stress such as hypertonicity has led many to develop manual
therapy techniques geared towards releasing compacted fascia.
Stretching and massage are the go-to options for people experiencing muscular
pain and tightness. Even though it is ideal
for someone to be able to completely relax under the hands of an experienced
practitioner isn’t cheap, nor is it all that easy to find time to do so. There are some popular techniques for self-massage
(e.g. rubbing back against a tree) but many of the typically problematic areas
are still neglected. One reason is that it is impossible to get at them without performing
a feat of contortion in order deliver a weak massage. Those in the health community have developed a
science out of this self-serving activity in order to come up with ways for
individuals to be able to better perform self-care.
University labs conducted numerous studies and gathered a
massive amount of information on self-manual therapy over the years. The ironic thing is that some of it supports the
use of an oversized rolling pin.
You’ve probably heard of foam rolling before since its success in
relieving chronic tension and promoting freedom of movement is steadily being
recognized more and more by the global fitness community. It is a tool-based practice used for
self-myofascial release (SMR), a fancy way of saying “self-massage.” Using foam rollers enables people to better control the speed and depth of a massage
on an affected area. This helps them get
just what they need from some brief work.
When people use a roller they create pressure using their body-weight which sits on top of the restricted fascia. The steady increase of pressure from the body causes the fascia to release and give way to a healthier shape. Initially,
when a muscle encounters sudden pressure its natural reflex is to contract
against the force in order to guard against overstretching. When we roll a muscle under a consistent pressure such as body-weight,
this helps to counteract that initial stretch reflex. In other words, rolling slowly prepares trigger happy fascia
to roll with the punches.
A quick and effective rolling session can dramatically benefit your
performance in workouts and daily activities, so being mindful of when to do it
is important as well. Since you are
helping realign fascia surrounding muscle, we encourage rolling before a bout of
strenuous activity. If
you’re less restricted beforehand then you’ll move more efficiently thereby allowing
you to benefit more from a workout by teaching the body how it is supposed to move
during certain exercises. This doesn't mean that rolling long after a workout is finished would not be just as
beneficial. It’s still a great addition to
a stretching routine before bed at a time when the muscles are about to tighten
up during their repairs overnight. There
is no generally prescribed limit on how much you should foam roll or get massages. Some encourage 2-3 times a day, depending on individual
restrictions, but these minutes can add up.
Someone can still get as much benefit by rolling out the areas of
restriction 1-2 times a day, preferably before and after strenuous physical
activity. For example, if Jane experienced
tightness in her mid-back and hips from working all day in a seated
“computer-locked” position, then she could just spend about five or six minutes
focusing on rolling out her thoracic spine, gluteals, psoas, and piriformis. If she had the time, then she could continue
onto her calves, lats, quads, and hams as well.
If her time and energy are limited, then sticking with a couple of
different key rolls per session will still be a good use of her time.
Even though foam rolling has gained some popularity in health and
fitness centers, you may often find rolls standing neatly in the back
corner of a gym. Working with rolls for
the first time is much like the first experience working with dumbbells. It’s difficult to know what to do if you
don’t have anyone in front of you demonstrating how to use them. However, the cool thing is that there is not as much special skill needed in order work with them. There are
some techniques which have been developed and shown to be best in addressing
typical hot spots for people. Following
is a brief review of a few of these techniques which can help open you up to other ideas on how to work with a roller. Feel
free to go through the whole series of rolls at once or just hit a couple where
you think you need it the most.
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Note: For any
foam rolling technique, remember to roll slow and controlled. This gives a little more time for the tissues
to adjust to the coming pressure. If you
find a tender spot (i.e. about a 6-7 on a 1-10 pain scale) then hold the
position for about 30 seconds or 5-6 deep breaths. Relax, relax, relax, and then move on. Click the hyperlinks for demonstrations on
how to perform these exercises from the Functional Movement Systems™ exercise library
at www.functionalmovement.com.
Sitting on a mat, position a roller underneath one or both ankles just at the base of
the Achilles tendon. If you feel like
you could use more pressure, then rest one leg on top of the other so it weighs
the other down. Lift your hips high enough off
of the floor to be able to push your lower leg along the roll. Continue to roll up to where the
gastrocnemius tendons pull out alongside the sides of the back of the
knee. Slowly roll back to the Achilles and
repeat for ten more good rolls.
For
this roll you’ll begin where you left off with the gastroc-soleus roll, that
is, just above the back of the knee on one or both legs. From this position lift your bottom off of
the floor with the help of your hands and push yourself forward so the roller
rolls underneath your legs along your hamstrings. Stop at the sit-bones or feel free to try
rolling up a little into the tailbone and tilt to the sides in order to hit each
glute cheek individually. Roll back down
to the starting position and repeat for 10 good rolls.
This roll
is perhaps the most complicated to get into and oftentimes the most painful
since there is not much protective tissue running along the sides of the legs. Here you are pressing almost directly on fascia. Once you get the movement down the feelings
afterwards are well worth the struggle.
Sit on the roller as you did before with the ham and glute roll. This time turn all the way to one side so either
the lateral left or right hip and knee rests near the roller. Take the top leg (i.e. the one not being
rolled) and position it in front of you so that you can rely on it for balance
and movement while you roll out your bottom leg. Use your upper body as well to help push your
weight off of the ground and over the roller.
Begin rolling from just above the lateral epicondyle of the femur to the lateral
spine of the hip bone. You should feel
changes in pressure along the side of your hip and thigh. Feel free to twist and turn you lower leg to
find different adhesions in that leg fascia.
Roll up and down on this area about 10 times and repeat on the other
side.
For
this roll you will lie face down with the roller resting just above the knees at
the base of the quadriceps. Use your
forearms to post your upper body off of the floor and to pull yourself forward
allowing the roll to pass under the front of your thighs until it comes up near
your pelvis. From there push yourself
back and repeat for a total of 10 rolls.
Again feel free to cross one leg over the other in order to intensify
the work.
Psoas
From
the same position as you had with the quadriceps roll, shift to one side of the
roll so one of your legs dangles off of the edge. This will give you room to move the roller up
your hip without running into your pelvis.
Roll a little higher than you did with the quadriceps roll but focus
just on the front of the hips from the top of your thigh to just below your
waistline. Repeat for about 10 rolls on
each side.
Return
to a seated position on the roller. Walk
your legs out in front of you as your back begins to fall over the roller. Roll up the back until the roller sits just
in line with the ops of your shoulders, about mid-back level. This is where you’ll start rolling. Bridge your hips off of the floor so that you
can use your legs to push your body along the roller. Roll out your mid-back stopping just before
the roller hits your lumber spine. Use
your legs again to pull yourself back into the starting position. Roll up and down the thoracic spine about 10
times.
From
the thoracic spine roll position turn onto your side so one arm is extended
over the roll and parallel with the floor.
Adjust your legs into a comfortable position that will allow you to use
them to push and pull your body along the roll.
The arm closest to the ceiling can be used as support and to control how
much weight you allow to rest on top of the roll. Begin with the roller at about lower chest
level on your side. From this position push
yourself along the roller so that it passes underneath your armpit and up into
your rear deltoid and upper triceps region.
You may feel the greatest pressure deep in the armpit area where the
latissimus and teres major attach to the upper part of the humerus. Repeat the roll up to 10 times and switch to
the other side.
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Learning how to effectively implement the foam roller into a
well-balanced training program is just one of the many things we encourage our
members to focus on at LTS. If people
don’t perform some self-care in between periods of self-destruction they
will quickly run themselves ragged. Our
goal is to improve function, not to render anybody dysfunctional through
physically demanding activities. So,
next time you come in. Make an extra effort to spend just a minute or two of the
chit-chat time rolling out on the mat instead of sitting at a magazine bench. We
guarantee you’ll be thankful for it later.
For additional information on SMR see http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/flexibilityandstretching/ss/FoamRoller.htm.
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Noel L.
Poff, CSCS, CPT, LMT, FMS, LTS Trainer
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