If you have been to a gym recently you might have noticed those cylindrical blue foam rollers about the place.
They are used for self-myofascial release, which is a form of self-massage designed to relax muscles and deep tissues and disperse painful trigger points.
Not only are tight muscles painful, they also restrict our movement and make it more difficult to exercise with correct form.
Using a foam roller as part of your exercise session can bring relief from niggly aches, prevent future
injury and improve your relationship with your body.
What is myofascia?
The principle of the foam roller is to work directly on the myofascia, or underlying connective tissue, as much as the muscles and ligaments.
Anyone who has ever skinned a chicken breast has encountered fascia, the whitish, fibrous sheet of tissue between the skin and muscle of the meat.
Fascia is strong connective tissue that envelopes our muscles and organs, providing structure and support. Every part of the body is interconnected to every other part by the fascia, like wool in a sweater. The myofascia is the type of connective tissue that specifically separates and protects the muscles.
According to personal trainer Jai Di Tommaso, for many years the fitness community saw muscles as independent from each other. Exercises were devised to develop muscles, such as the quadriceps or the biceps, in isolation.
“This is a mechanical view of the body,” she says. “Now we have a better understanding of how muscles work together and are linked through the seamless web of the connective tissue. Functional training focuses on whole body connectedness.”
What are fascial adhesions?
In a normal healthy state fascia is relaxed and pliable. However, it can become tight and restricted in response to physical stress, such as poor posture, inactivity or overuse.
“The overlapping layers of the fascia stick together and no longer glides smoothly over each other”, explains Jai.
This creates adhesions or trigger points that result in pain, muscle tension and diminished blood flow.
This irritation of the fascia causes inflammation that leads to it becoming thicker. In turn, this thickening causes more pain and irritation.
Myofascial release breaks this cycle by dispersing the painful trigger points and releasing the connective tissue. Pain diminishes over time as the connective tissue restores itself.
How to use the foam roller
The foam roller can be used on just about any body part. They are best used before you start to exercise to get your body moving freely.
All you have to do is to roll the tight muscle — for example, the quadriceps at the front of the thigh or the calves — over the foam roller like a rolling pin. This can be surprisingly uncomfortable if you are not used to it.
As you roll, stop on 3 especially sore trigger points to release the tightness.
“What happens with chronic tightness,” says Jai, “is that the fascia receives the wrong information from the brain. By holding on an acute spot, you highlight to your brain where exactly to send a signal in the connective tissue to loosen and relax. The muscle is affected physically, and the neurological pattern from the brain is improved as well.”
So, breathe deeply and absorb the discomfort in order to reorganise the way messages from the brain to start healing are sent through your connective tissue.
Muscles to work on
The major muscles that benefit from myofascial release on the foam roller are:
- the calves
- peroneus (outside of the lower leg)
- tibialis (front of the lower leg)
- the hamstrings
- the quadriceps
- the ITB (outside of the thigh)
- the adductors (inner thigh)
- gluteus maximus (the butt)
- latissimus dorsi (upper back below the shoulders)
- thoracic spine (upper back)
The rollers can be put to use in a variety of ways. It’s often a case of finding a way to roll a sore muscle over one and reaching the trigger spots.