For the price of a cheap bottle of wine you can: relieve stressful joints while increasing their mobility, correct muscle imbalances while improving athletic performance, rehabilitate injuries and prevent future occurrences, and reduce muscle soreness. What? You've got to be kidding, what sort of snake oil is this? Although similar illusory claims run rampant in today's capitalist market, fortunately for us, every bit of it is true and then some.
Self-Myofascial Release (SMR) has been around for years, but is just now starting to reach mainstream awareness. SMR is a process by which tension, applied to a muscle past a certain limit, causes the Golgi Tendon Organs (GTO) to reduce muscle spindle activity and decrease muscle tension by a process called autogenic inhibition. This is the human body's natural response to injury-causing tension applied to a muscle. With regular use of foam rollers, stimulating the GTOs and the resulting autogenic inhibition can lead to greater neuromuscular efficiency.
So, what do I do next? If you are ready to begin adding SMR to your daily routine, you will first need a foam roller. There are plenty of options available through a simple Google Search. Two other highly recommended suppliers are Elite FTS and Power-Systems. You will want to start with a 1-3 foot long 6" roller. You can purchase these fairly cheaply, and for a little extra money there are also higher density rollers available. The minor increase in investment will give you a product that is less prone to break down as quickly as your standard foam roller. The smaller and harder the roller the better, but a typical 6" foam roller is the best place to start. Trust me, rolling over the IT band is truly a mind-over-matter experience, but you will feel great afterwards. Personally, I chose a low-tech option with materials I had sitting around the house. I cut a 3 foot section of 2 inch PVC pipe and tightly rolled around it one of the thousands of yoga mats that has made their way into my home. Secure it with duct tape and you are good to go. It has just enough give to make the movements bearable yet still provide the necessary tension. This option can get the job done, but I eventually caved in and ordered a Pro Roller from EliteFTS.
Next, you will want to learn some of the more standard rolling movements. Below is a suggested reading section where I have provided links to several articles that will further your understanding of SMR and provide illustrated descriptions of the movements. You will want to spend a few minutes on each movement for each side of the body, making sure that when you roll onto a painful area (you'll know for sure when you reach one) to stop rolling and rest on the roller while targeting that area for 30-60 seconds. Resting on the painful areas stimulates the GTOs mentioned earlier, giving you the benefits of SMR. From the recommendations in the links provided below, I have been performing SMR with my homemade roller daily and have found it to be a highly effective technique to use for recovery and overall relaxation. Well, to be truthful, SMR hurts like hell. It may even bring you to tears. Well maybe not, but the relaxation and after effects are great.
Suggested Reading:
Article: T-Nation - Feel Better for 10 Bucks
Article: Self-Myofascial Release Exercises
Enjoy the pain... Er, no, I mean massage. |
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