A Full Overview of How Foam Rolling & Stretching Fix Your Body
Very likely, someone has told you before about mobilizing. Maybe a personal trainer preached to you about foam rolling after your workout. Maybe you heard a yogi rave about how awesome stretching is. Maybe Dr. Google prescribed a combination of both for your plantar fasciitis. The problem with mobility practices is that they’ve quickly become mainstream, yet there is a disproportionate lack of information on the “why” and “how” of mobilizing.
The Problem
Does somewhere in your body hurt? Are your back, knees, shoulders, or something else in pain? If your answer is yes, you are not alone. The prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders is at an all time high, and it’s decreasing way too many people’s quality of life. Being in pain is no fun. That statement holds even more true when you realize that much musculoskeletal pain in the world can be prevented. That’s right, millions of people (possibly including you) are in pain when they really don’t have to be. The reality is that most musculoskeletal pain can be resolved in the comfort of your own home. Let us explain.
A host of different living factors cause our bodies, particularly the musculoskeletal system, to adapt in a negative way. Prolonged sitting, restless sleep, a poor diet, improper exercise (that’s right, exercise can be harmful), and other bad habits force muscles and joints to become dysfunctional. Now, what does that mean exactly? Well, a dysfunctional musculoskeletal system possesses a few of problems.
Inflexibility
I’m sure you’ve heard this before, but it really is true. Decreased range of motion is one of the leading causes joint pain. When muscles shorten their associated joints are pulled out of position, resulting in pain that will eventually turn into injury if left unfixed.
Reduced Circulation
Muscles that are under stress (inflexible, trigger-point filled ones) develop adhesions between the fibers. This reduces circulation to these fibers, limiting the availability of water and other critical nutrients to the muscle. As a result, the musculature does not receive the nutrition it requires, hindering recovery and overall function.
Trigger Points
Everyone has experienced having “knots” in a certain muscle. In exercise science, these are called Trigger Points, and they are small sections of muscle fibers that remain constantly contracted. Think of them as a micro-cramp, and just like any cramp they hurt. Trigger points are irritable in themselves, but they also reduce range of motion, causing the same joint problems as above.
Autonomic Imbalances
Your autonomic nervous system is an automatic computer that runs background functions in your body. This system has two settings: relax mode (parasympathetic) and fight-or-flight mode (sympathetic). In the parasympathetic mode, your heart rate and blood pressure are low, your stress hormones are minimal, and everything is hunky dory. In sympathetic mode, it is the exact opposite with an added negative that your muscles tighten up (in preparation for wrestling a bear). Without even knowing it, many people’s autonomic nervous systems are stuck in fight-or-flight mode, seriously hindering their pulmonary and musculoskeletal health.
All of these problems compound to create pain and even injury in muscles and joints. That’s the bad part. The good part is that all of these issues are easily combated with a quality mobility practice. Hazah!
The Solution
What is a mobility practice? Simply stated, it is a practice in which one uses different techniques to reinstate correct muscular function and range of motion in their body. Simplifying it even further, our mobility practice will be to utilize foam rolling and stretching on a daily basis to eliminate pain and feel awesome. Does it sound too good to be true? Well, it’s not. Let’s examine the scientifically proven benefits of mobilizing.
Reduced Tigger Point Pain
Studies have shown that foam rolling increases the pain pressure threshold in areas that contain trigger points. Just like a massage, rolling decreases the sensitivity of these areas, reducing the direct pain that trigger points cause.
Faster Recovery
olling and stretching after your workout is proven to enhance recovery by reducing residual muscular soreness, allowing you to get back to 100% significantly quicker. This is likely related to rolling’s ability to increase circulation, though no studies have been performed to find a correlation.
Improved Performance
When utilized during a warm up, studies have shown that rolling improves a host of different performance variables. Speed, power, agility, and strength all increase when foam rolling is used before exercise
Increased Range of Motion
Plenty of research has demonstrated that rolling and stretching reintroduces range of motion to joints. Though the exact mechanism behind this phenomenon isn’t completely understood, we do know indefinitely that rolling increases flexibility, leading to better joint function and less pain
Enhanced Tissue Quality
The pressure applied to muscles by rolling helps to break apart adhered fibers. By doing so, better circulation is reinstated to the muscle, meaning more nutrients and hydration are delivered. Furthermore, rolling pressure helps to reduce the stiffness of muscles by increasing the fluidity of fascia (the connective tissue interspersed with muscle fibers). Both outcomes enhance the muscle’s tissue quality and functional ability.
Autonomic Relaxation
Rolling has also been shown to increase parasympathetic activity in your autonomic nervous system, bringing your body into a relaxed state. “Relax mode” lowers your heart rate and blood pressure, and also reduces overall muscular tension throughout the body.
If you’re reading this and your body hurts, THERE IS HOPE. The evidence supporting mobilization and its ability to resolve musculoskeletal pain mechanisms is overwhelming, and that’s why it has become so mainstream. With that said, you have to understand how to mobilize correctly to reap these benefits. That’s right, there are right and wrong ways to roll and stretch, and knowing the difference is pivotal to fixing yourself.