Massage and Self-Myofascial Release

Welcome back to the recovery series. This is now part 3, and our subjects for discussion are massage and self-myofascial release (SMR).

Now, I imagine most people understand the basic premise of what a massage is and what it consists of. Usually there are two types, a regular massage which is more therapeutic and relaxing using softer contact, and also sports massage which is a more physical experience getting deeper into the muscle to release tension, knots, and bound up tissue caused by exercise or general life¹.

This leads to a happy customer either way in most cases (not the kind of happy endings you may be thinking … this is a child friendly article after all) as the tension of muscles can be released leading to greater range of movement, and can also assist stress management².

SMR is slightly different. A lot of you reading this will have heard of it, and if you haven’t, I’m hoping that you have heard of something called Foam Rolling. They are one and the same in that SMR is what it says – releasing the tension of the fascia by yourself. Broken down this is; self - you, myofascial - the thin layer of fascia that covers the muscle belly, and release – how can I put this … “to free from confinement/to free from anything that constrains”³. Yes I did just use a dictionary for that, don’t judge me.

Essentially it is just using a foam roller, or other such tools, to release any areas of tension in the body⁴.

There are pros and cons to both of these in my opinion. With massage you can get a more thorough treatment on any identified area, but unless you have a friend in the business who can give you a good deal it can often be quite pricey. Especially seeing as the effects are not life long but only short term⁵.

It can also be a bit less time effective, as depending on your masseuse it could be either 30 or 60 minutes per treatment, plus travel time to and from. Plus there’s one more, you might not know when you’re going to be in need of a massage. So unless you have a regular booking already in place, if something causes you to need one – you may then have to wait for an available slot.

With foam rolling the only expense is the initial purchase of the items. This can be entirely based upon your budget or needs. For me – I use a Trigger Point roller; it’s quite heavy duty and has ridges allowing for a more thorough release. It’s a little more expensive than some, but I’ve had it for almost 3 years and it’s still holding strong. I used to own one of the simple and cheap rollers, but being 115kg+ at the time, I flattened it within a few weeks of regular use. I also use a massage stick to roll my calves and quads, and a lacrosse ball, hockey ball or sometimes even a golf ball (for the real sneaky little knots hiding away) to get at individual knots rather than a whole muscle belly. I’m not saying you need all these, but it’s just what I use.

Apart from that, with foam rolling all you need is the know-how (knowing where is sore and how to roll that area – check out reference 4 & 6 for more info), and some floor space to do it. Time-wise I feel it is more efficient as a little and often approach can alleviate a lot of issues.

What role do these both play on recovery I hear you ask (and even if you’re not asking, I’m going to say anyway); both can be used to alleviate muscle fascia tension, which will allow a greater range of movement. It can also help to reduce the amount of waste product build up in the area, with appropriate technique (generally considered to be towards the heart) helping to flush waste.

You can buy Foam Rollers here at pretty low cost. Much cheaper than paying a sports therapist to give you a massage... (And less painful!!)

Once again, I hope this article was helpful for you. If it was, please give it a share on social media. There are plenty of other good articles to read on the Macro Man blog, so check them out and get anyone you think might be interested to have a look.

The Recovery Series is well under way, with 3 parts now complete. Next week we’ll take a look into active recovery and how it could help you.

Thanks for reading,

Rob Nitman. BSc. ASCC.

References

1.     Cherkin, D.C., Sherman, K.J., Kahn, J. et al. (2011). A comparison of the effects of 2 types of massage and usual care on chronic low back pain: a randomized, controlled trial. Annals of Internal Medicine, 155(1).

2.     Sherman, K.J., Ludman, E.J., Cook, A.J. et al. (2010). Effectiveness of therapeutic massage for generalized anxiety disorder: a randomized controlled trial. Depression and Anxiety, 27(5).

3.     http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/release?s=t

4.     Robertson, M. (2008). Self-Myosfascial Release: Purpose, Methods & Techniques. Robertson Training Systems, Indianapolis, USA.

5.     Furlan, A.D., Imamura, M., Dryden, T. et al. (2008) Massage for low-back pain. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 4(1).

6.     http://www.lightfield.com/etc/Self_Myofascial_ReleaseMM.pdf - accessed 11/01/2015

Foam Rolling - How to do it, why you should do it and who says it's worth it

This article is all about the world of self-myofascial release (SMR), in particular, foam rolling.  If you have never heard of this term or would just like to know a bit more information about it, you have come to the right place! This article will be discussing what a foam roller actually is, why they are used, what they actually do and, finally, what does the latest research say about them?

I hope you enjoy!

 

What is a foam roller?

So first up, what is a foam roller? Its not a trick question, a foam roller is simply just a cylinder piece of foam (that rolls).  They come in various sizes and densities, which is usually indicated by the colour of foam. White rollers are the softest, black rollers are the firmest and blue rollers are somewhere in between. They are not hard to find either, just search online for a foam roller and you are sure to find a stockiest.

 

For anybody that has never seen a foam roller and is wondering what I am talking about, this is what one looks like...

 

As you can see, they aren’t flash and they aren’t fancy. 

You might be wondering why this piece of foam is so special?  

 

Why should I use one?

Most athletes will use a foam roller with the aim to reduce muscle soreness and enhance their recovery in order to maximize their levels of performance.  But how is this achieved?

 

What do they do?

In simple terms, just think of foam rolling as ironing (stay with me).

When you train hard, muscles suffer from micro trauma. This micro trauma can lead to the formation of scar tissue and knots in the muscle, which may impede nerve conduction and blood flow. This can then lead to muscle soreness and reduce the contraction speed of your muscles, therefore your performance!

By carefully aligning the roller with particular muscles (like an iron), the roller is used to apply pressure to areas of soreness in muscles. This enables you to break up the scar tissue that may have formed (like creases in a shirt).

 

They can also be used to increase your flexibility and your range of movement, a process called autogenic inhibition. As pressure is applied to the muscle, mechanoreceptors called Golgi Tendon Organs inform the brain that tension is being placed on the muscle. The brain then sends a message back to relax the muscle, preventing it from tearing.  A reduction in tension means a reduction in pain and improvements in muscular function.

 

How do I use one?

As briefly mentioned, rollers are used to apply pressure on areas of soreness in your muscles. They are really simple to use. Place the roller on a sore muscle area and roll slowly, using your body weight to apply the pressure. Once you have found a sore point, stop and apply direct pressure whilst trying to relax the muscle. It is advised to spend between 30-60 seconds per muscle group, depending on your perceived soreness.

Foam rolling is a great method to use as part of a pre-hab routine before your training session or as part of a recovery routine after your session. It becomes a great habit to have in making sure that you are getting the most out of your training sessions.

But does it actually work?

 

 

 

 

What does the research say?

 

There are many studies that have researched the effectiveness of foam rolling but I have summarised the findings of two recent papers. The references can be found below in case you would like to look into them further.

The first paper looked at was by MacDonald et al. (2014). This study looked at foam rolling as a recovery tool after an intense bout of physical activity. Results concluded that foam rolling was a beneficial tool in reducing muscle soreness whilst also improving vertical jump height, muscle activation and passive and dynamic range of motion in comparison to a group that did not use foam rollers.

A study by Pearcey et al. (2014) found results that adhered to the findings by Macdonald et al. (2014). They concluded that foam-rolling effectively reduced the delayed onset of muscle soreness (DOMS) and the associated decrements in dynamic performance (sprint speed, power and dynamic strength endurance).

So that’s a little bit about self-myofascial release; why not get your hands on a foam roller and try it for yourself. I’d love to hear what you think!

 

References

Macdonald, G., Button, D., Drinkwater, E. and Behm, D. (2014). Foam Rolling as a Recovery Tool After an Intense Bout of Physical Activity. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 46 (1), pp.131-142.

Pearcey, G., Bradbury-Squires, D., Kawamoto, J., Drinkwater, E., Behm, D. and Button, D. (2014). Foam Rolling for Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness and Recovery of Dynamic Performance Measures. Journal of Athletic Training. [In Press]

 

This article was written by Rob Etherington.

What Is a Foam Roller, How Do I Use It, and Why Does It Hurt?

Self-myofascial release, also known as “foam rolling,” has transformed from a once mysterious technique used only by professional athletes, coaches, and therapists to a familiar everyday practice for people at all levels of fitness. Recent information, technology, and affordable products have introduced an increasing array of training and recovery methods to the average person.

Self-myofascial release is a fancy term for self-massage to release muscle tightness or trigger points. This method can be performed with a foam roller, lacrosse ball, Theracane, or your own hands. By applying pressure to specific points on your body you are able to aid in the recovery of muscles and assist in returning them to normal function. Normal function means your muscles are elastic, healthy, and ready to perform at a moment’s notice.

 

Left photo: Calf bottom. Right photo: Calf top.

Do I Have Tight Muscles or Trigger Points?

Trigger points are specific “knots” that form in muscles. They are unique and can be identified because they will refer pain. Pain referral, for our purposes, can most easily be described as the pain felt when pressure is applied to one area of the body, but the pain is felt or radiated in another area. A common example of a trigger point is felt while foam rolling your iliotibial (IT) band as it causes pain to radiate up to the hip or all the way down the leg to the ankle. When rolling or working on tight/sore muscles you will experience discomfort or pain. Think of it like the pain you get while stretching. It should be uncomfortable, but not unbearable, and when you are done it should feel better.

  

Left photo: Chest - front delt. Right photo: Lats.

Why Am I Doing Something That Hurts?

For many, deep tissue massage is easy to understand. Ideally someone is able to work out the knots in your muscles, and it is commonly known this process may be uncomfortable and at times painful. Self-myofascial release provides the user the ability to control the healing and recovery process by applying pressure in precise locations, because only you can feel exactly what is happening. It is always recommended to consult with your physician or physical therapist for therapeutic/sharp pain and receive approval before starting self-myofascial release. For most people you will be cleared immediately and your doctor will encourage the practice.

Releasing trigger points helps to reestablish proper movement patterns and pain free movement, and ultimately, to enhance performance. Utilizing stretching alone is not always enough to release muscles tightness, which is why foam rollers have thrived on the mass market. Imagine a bungee cord with a knot tied into it and then envision stretching the cord. This creates tension, stretching the unknotted portion of the muscle and the attachment points. The knot, however, has remained unaltered. Foam rolling can assist in breaking up these muscle knots, resuming normal blood flow and function. The goal to any corrective or recovery technique is to get you back to the point of normal functioning, as if nothing was ever wrong. When was the last time you trained like you were a teenager, going hard without a second thought, and injuries were something that only happened due to physical trauma like a 250lb linebacker hitting you?

  

Left photo: Hip adductor. Right photo: Hip extensor - glute.

 

Left photo: Hip flexor. Right photo: Inner quad.

What Causes Trigger Points and Tight Muscles?

Both have the same contributing factors including training, flexibility, movement patterns, posture, nutrition, hydration, rest, stress, and other lifestyle factors. Our bodies learn to compensate for what we throw at them every day, but we can exceed our ability to recover via too many intense workouts, poor posture, and other lifestyle factors. This is when you need assistance using recovery techniques or through seeing a professional. If you lived a perfect life with everything in balance, you would theoretically never have either of these conditions, however I’ve yet to meet that person.

How Does Self-Myofascial Release Work?

Deep compression helps to break up or relax tight muscles and adhesions formed between muscle layers and their surroundings. Imagine you are tenderizing your own muscles. They should be soft and supple like a baby’s muscles. However, if our muscles are not taken care of properly we can experience loss of flexibility, adhesions, and painful movement. The compression allows normal blood flow to return and restoration of healthy tissue. Our bodies naturally want to be healthy and strong, but sometimes an extra boost is needed to achieve optimal muscle and tissue health.

  

Left photo: IT band bottom. Right photo: IT band top.

How Do I Know What to Foam Roll and How to Do It?

Areas to focus on can be identified in two different ways. The first is through screenings. If you have followed the last two articles - squat screening and hip hinge screening - and have had struggles with either movement, you should include foam rolling in your workout and recovery program. You may target specific areas/muscles that relate to the movements you are focusing on. If after using the foam roller your movement improves, you have a more specific strategy to follow. Secondly, trigger points and tight muscles can be found through self-exploration, utilizing the list of techniques below and exploring each one.

To foam roll properly, apply moderate pressure to a specific muscle or muscle group using the roller and your bodyweight. You should roll slowly, no more than one inch per second. When you find areas that are tight or painful, pause for several seconds and relax as much as possible. You should slowly start to feel the muscle releasing, and after 5-30 seconds the discomfort or pain should lessen. If an area is too painful to apply direct pressure, shift the roller and apply pressure on the surrounding area and gradually work to loosen the entire area. The goal is to restore healthy muscles - it is not a pain tolerance test. You may also use other objects to work on muscles such as a tennis ball, lacrosse ball, Theracane, or Trigger Point Therapy Kit.

Never roll a joint or bone. Avoid rolling your lower back. To target these muscles I recommend using tennis or lacrosse balls. If you are having issues with your neck, refer these issues to an appropriate medical professional, as these areas they can be more sensitive and require more advanced attention.

  

Left photo: Lacrosse ball - hip. Right photo: Lacrosse ball - shoulder blade.

What Happens After Rolling?

You may be sore the next day. It should feel as if your muscles have been worked/released, however you should not push yourself to the point of excessive soreness. Drink plenty of water, get enough sleep, and eat clean. This will help to flush your system and fuel your muscles more effectively. Give it 24-48 hours before focusing on the same area again.

  

Left photo: Mid-back. Right photo: Upper back.