If you haven't started using foam rolling as part of your flexibility routine then you are missing an important component of improving your range of motion or flexibility.
A foam roller is traditionally thought of as a tool for aiding relief of sore muscles and for most people the pain of foam rolling seems greater than the gain, but this is not it's only use. Yes, using a foam roller will assist in muscular pain relief and free tight joints but did you know foam rolling also assists in releasing your fascia? Fascial tissue, a form of connective tissue, tightens in the same way that muscles tighten so when we stretch a muscle sometimes the feeling of restriction is coming from your fascial tissue not just your muscles.
So why is this important? Relaxing muscles and fascial tissue require different techniques.
For muscle tissue, we work on positioning the body in different ways to create a feeling of stretch on the muscles fibres and tendons which in turn creates sensory change (we gradually become more desensitised to the feeling of stretch so we are able to stretch further). There are different techniques you can apply while in a stretch position with the most effective technique being Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation or PNF stretching.
For the relief of fascial tissue, we need pressure and heat. The relaxation of fascial tissue can be affected by as little as 2 degrees difference in temperature of the tissue. (For this reason, wearing clothing to cover the limbs when you stretch is also important to stop heat leaving the body). When we foam roll our body heats up due to the movement itself and we also create pressure with body weight and gravity pushing into muscles. The heat plus the pressure changes the physiological state of the fascial tissue allowing for greater ease of movement hence increasing range of motion when we go into a stretch position.
Is your foam roller sadly sitting in the corner of your lounge room gathering dust? Yes! Join us online to learn how to use your foam roller and gain new ranges of flexibility. Online classes run weekly. Check out our Timetable online for more information and to make a booking.
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