By Erica Moe | Get Fit!
Self-Myofascial Release (SMR) is like a deep massage for your muscles. Daily life with poor posture, over-training, stress and inactivity can create imbalances in the body. You can tame those imbalances by using a tool, like the foam roller, to work out the kinks or knots that live in your fascia.
Fascia, or connective tissue, runs through your whole body, connecting muscle to bone, bone to bone, and cushioning your entire internal structure. You’ll find that SMR with a foam roller can be a convenient, inexpensive, time-saving, effective and affordable way to take care of this über-important tissue.
Research
Research shows that using a foam roller can be particularly beneficial before or after an exercise routine, and you can even use one every day.
A study reported in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research noted that foam roller use increased range of motion without any loss in strength. For example, the study showed range of motion at the knee improved, on average, 7-10 degrees.
Another study resulted in a 10-degree increase in quadriceps range of motion after only two minutes of foam rolling. Don’t have two minutes to spare? You can still benefit after only 20-30 seconds on each muscle!
In addition to increased range of motion and correcting imbalances, foam rolling can relax muscles and reduce soreness. Studies also showed that it delayed the onset of muscle soreness and reduced perceived soreness for 48 hours after exercise.
Ouch!
There is no doubt that using a foam roller will leave your muscles relaxed, but be prepared for some initial discomfort. Sometimes you can feel pain from the knots in your fascia, and adding the pressure of the foam roller can cause even more pain.
The good news is that you can control the amount of pressure by using your body, in addition to the roller, to support each movement until you are comfortable using your entire weight on each individual body part. If you are sensitive, find a foam roller that is less dense, therefore softer.
How to
Move the foam roller in small increments, a few inches at a time, paying close attention to the tender spots. Allow the foam roller to concentrate above, below or to the side of sensitive areas until you are able to tolerate the discomfort. Feel free to let the foam roller pause to allow the fascia and muscle to relax. Avoid rolling over the joint.
In my neighborhood?
Flexibility and mobility equipment, like foam rollers, stretch trainers and myofascial release devices prove to be today’s hottest equipment, according to the 2015 International Fitness Industry Trend Report.
Foam rollers are becoming more mainstream and can be purchased at many local sporting goods stores. You may also find them in the corner of many fitness facilities. Recently, entire classes devoted to foam rolling have been popping up on group fitness schedules. For example, the Mission Valley YMCA has a Foam Roller/Stretch class at 12:15 p.m. Sundays.
—Erica Moe is an ACSM certified exercise physiologist who writes on behalf of the Mission Valley YMCA, where she is a fitness director.
