Self Myofascial Release

Self Myofascial release, also commonly known as foam rolling, is a way to use foam which is shaped into pipe-like rollers to help stretch and release muscle fiber in the body. It is especially used in the lower body.

You have thousands of muscle fibers in each muscle group in your body. When you lose range of motion or you are tight in certain areas of your body, you have what is commonly known as a 'knot'. Literally the muscle fibers get knotted up, begin to spasm and stop functioning properly. While that is occurring scar tissue begins to form around the spasming muscle fibers, which then become dormant and stop functioning with the rest of the muscle group. You also lose the ability to burn the calories/use the energy that those muscle fibers could be utilizing.

What foam rolling does is it relieves those muscle fibers of the 'knots'. Apply pressure to those spasming muscle fibers, and when held there it will generally produce discomfort in that area. As the foam roller is held for at least 30 seconds (up to 2 minutes) the spasming muscle fibers begin to loosen up as the scar tissue slowly breaks away from the spasming muscle fibers. The pain should then reduce significantly since the scar tissue has broken away from the muscle fibers, and then the Golgi Tendon Organ in each individual muscle fiber tells those fibers to relax, bringing them back into use along with the rest of the muscle fibers of that muscle group.

Foam rolling increases range of motion, allows you to work harder, burn more calories, get/use more energy, get into shape quicker, move more efficiently...it does a great deal of good. Just make sure you drink water immediately after so that you don't get dehydrated. And remember that even though the name is foam rolling, the correct use of the roller is to roll it until you find a knot in the muscle and then to hold the roller stationary under the knot until it releases.

Our office carries these type of rollers for physical therapy on our online store. These also have great use in rolling tendons in the feet and being of help in developing muscles when recovering from foot injuries or surgeries. Visit our online store at: http://www.ourdoctorstore.com/vail/store/item.asp?ITEM_ID=609&DEPARTMENT_ID=190 to view or purchase rollers for yourself. This is a great product for anyone looking to maximize the amount of work that their muscles can do.