Without a doubt, you’ve seen (and probably have used) a foam roller or some other sort of ‘soft-tissue mobilization’ tool or ‘self-myofascial release’ technique as it has become a standard part of most people’s workout routines. But why? Does your fascia really need this much attention? Is rolling doing anything worth the effort? And more importantly, is it right for YOU?
Sure, if you google the word fascia you will absolutely find an obscene amount of articles and blog posts on all the so-called benefits that myofascial release supposedly provides. But, before you start using these tools on your tissue, it’s important to understand what is actually happening beneath the surface and when and how to do it properly so you can assess what areas may need further attention, how to use it to your benefit, and when it might be a pointless waste of time. There are indeed times where this may mean utilizing techniques that alter soft tissue through manual therapy, but more often than not, the changes you’re looking for require more active inputs that in turn create a neurological shift in tissue.
When it comes to expert opinions on whether or not foam rollers have a use, you’ll find a lot of hard lines drawn in the sand. I have to admit, I have sat on both sides of the line and I’ve come to find a middle ground for both myself and my clientele.
MYTHS AND MISCONCEPTIONS
While many benefits have been thrown out there in regards to foam rolling such as; ‘an affordable alternative to deep tissue massage’; ‘the ability to break up adhesions and scar tissue’; ‘alleviate pain’; ‘address specific mobility issues’; ‘prevent injury’; ‘speed up the recovery process post-workout’; and allow you to simply ‘move better’….the truth is…
FOAM ROLLING IS NOT THE KEY TO CHANGING YOUR TISSUE.
While the benefits above may sound like we should all be spending time on a foam roller, there have been no studies that have shown that foam rolling causes a change in soft tissue (muscle) or your fascia, or that it will successfully do any of the above.
It’s important to understand that your body is WAY too resilient for a small piece of foam or any other tool to produce sufficient force to make a permanent change to the fascia or muscular tissue or to ‘melt’ one stuck layer of connective tissue from another. However, you can use it to assist your body in moving better and feeling better, even if only temporarily.
““I am so over the word ‘fascia’. I have touted it for 40 years – I was even called the ‘Father of Fascia’ the other day in New York (it was meant kindly, but…) — now that ‘fascia’ has become a buzzword and is being used for everything and anything, I am pulling back from it in top-speed reverse. Fascia is important, of course, and folks need to understand its implications for biomechanics, but it is not a panacea, the answer to all questions, and it doesn’t do half the things even some of my friends say it does.” - Tom Myers”
UNDERNEATH THE SURFACE
Fascia IS truly fascinating. The thin sheaths of connective tissue surround every muscle, tendon, ligament, nerve, bone, organ, and every other structure in the human body while providing incredible support by distributing force of movement through the whole body seamlessly. Directly underneath the surface of the skin are mechanoreceptors that detect and communicate pressure, touch, and pain to the brain. These sensory receptors are connected to all of our connective tissue. One of the most important things to note about the fascial, muscular, and nervous systems, and the entire body as a whole, is that everything is deeply connected at a cellular and subcellular level. Our intricate networks of cells, connective tissue, and nervous tissue is creating, receiving, and expressing information and sensation constantly. And it is strong and clever.
Collagen is a primary component of fascia that is extremely resilient and designed to resist tensile stress, however, it is able to change its structure through tissue memory. This means that the cells that make up collagen, that make up our fascia and connective tissue, that make up our body, can change through repetitive movement and function. Use it or lose it is actually something! Hold poor posture repeatedly and your tissues will begin to take on that form because you’re tissues are telling your brain they want to be in that position. Perform specific mobility drills to expand the control and range of motion of your hips and you’ll see your hip joints gain more movement. Spend the majority of your time sitting and you’ll find yourself with tight and weak hip flexors and hamstrings.
““The literature is quite clear about how connective tissue adapts to applied loads vs other tissues and thus, we cannot simply assume that our approaches are affecting it. “- Dr. Andreo Spina”
Our tissue is designed in a way to be incredibly light, take up minimal space, and support free movement, yet, be stronger than steel. Case in point for why foam rolling will not have any impact for change. When this tissue becomes dysfunctional and malaligned due to injury, inactivity, force, stress, overuse, poor posture, dehydration, faulty movement patterns, lack of sleep, type of workouts, and emotional distress it can be a great cause of movement restriction and pain.
Essentially, the body adapts to the input it receives. Passive inputs yield passive results. Active inputs yield active results. Want to permanently change your tissue in a positive way, give it active and consistent inputs.
What Happens when we roll
Compressing into a foam roller and moving directionally with the tissue stimulates the mechanoreceptors and nerve endings and sends information to the brain and nervous system while creating a sponge-like reaction – squeezing oxygenated blood and fluid into and out of the fascia and all tissues beneath the surface. This new information and work directly on the tissues is a “trick” to the nervous system and is only temporarily creating more movement, increasing blood flow to the area, and decreasing the perception of pain/discomfort. Again, this is a TEMPORARY change and the tissue will revert back to its’ previous state in about ten minutes.
While this activity is filled with plenty of sensation, foam rolling alone will not create a large carry-over. Why? Because this is a passive input to the tissue and is purely neurological communication. In order to permanently restore healthy tissue, mobility, joint range of motion, and movement, it takes consistent work through a combination of active stretching, mobility training, strengthening, and occasionally manual therapy.
But, you can certainly use this time to your advantage in combination with other active inputs and work.
Assess your individual needs
Now that you understand that rolling only produces a temporary shift in tissue, it’s important to ask yourself what your goal is every time you pick up a foam roller. I actually encourage you to ask yourself that for everything you choose for your body. Whether you choose to use a foam roller or not as part of your practice completely depends on your unique individual needs.
If you like foam rolling because it feels great and you need physical touch because we are in the time of Covid and your massage therapist is on hold, go for it!
If you have an annoying pain between your shoulder blades from sitting too long at your computer and rolling gives you a little relief for a moment, by all means, hop on it, but do it in conjunction with some active mobility and change your desk positioning while you’re at it.
If you assessed and need help re-patterning a dysfunctional movement, incorporating foam rolling immediately prior to specific mobility work can increase blood flow to the area to help encourage greater movement.
If you’re feeling stressed and need to release tension in the body, rolling can help calm the nervous system down and shift you from a sympathetic (fight or flight) state to a parasympathetic (rest and digest) state.
But, if you’re rolling to address a tightness, restriction, or pain, it’s important to be diligent and mindful of incorporating other modalities into your training alongside the rolling to address the root of the issue in order to promote lasting change.
How and When to use it
As part of a warm-up: Foam rolling prior to a workout can be advantageous if you have uncovered a dysfunction in your movement or pain through an assessment. Choose 1-2 areas to address with rolling techniques to increase circulation to the tissue as well as help improve muscular force production. Focus on the areas of the body that have more restricted movement, or tissues that are experiencing slight discomfort. Recheck your movement after the work to quantify if it is helpful or not. Note: If you already move well and are pain-free, your time will be better spent focusing on specific mobility exercises as a warm up.
During a workout: Use rolling as a way to quickly create more range of motion mid-workout (again, remember this is only temporary) to help you with a movement pattern or specific exercise or for a temporary relief of discomfort in a joint (for example, a quick 30 second roll on your TFL can occasionally create a relief in knee discomfort - this is NOT changing anything or addressing the issue,however). It’s the work that you do after you foam roll that will create a more lasting response on your mobility and overall movement.
As part of a cool-down: Use foam rolling on the larger muscle groups that were used in your training session in combination with breathwork to help you relax by shifting your nervous system into a parasympathetic (rest and digest) state and begin your recovery for the next training session.
When traveling: Use a roller or other tool while traveling to address tightness, soreness, and aches associated with prolonged sitting or long flights (in combination with active mobility and stretching).
Before bed: an evening routine that includes breathwork, gentle stretching, and self massage can shift the mental energy from the day and enhance the quality of sleep.
Because it just feels good: DO it!