You must have heard of it a thousand times by now, “Don’t forget to roll after your workout!’’ The truth is, it’s probably the least fun activity anyone can ever suggest to you. So why do biokineticist’s and physio’s promote it so much, you may be asking? Clearly we are all just mass sadists…….Na I’m just kidding!
When we talk about foam rolling we have to start from the beginning and that involves a very brief understanding of the body. Let us start by explaining what it is we are aiming to release and that is the Fascia. The Fascia is a specialized system in the human body. It resembles a spider’s web that is densely woven. The fascia covers and interpenetrates every muscle, bone, nerve, artery and vein as well as all of our internal organs including; the heart, lungs, brain and spinal cord.
The most fascinating part about the Fascia is that it is all interconnected which is a very important point for the topic at hand. It is important to note, that when we roll, we are only rolling the MYOFASCIA. The Myofascia refers to the fascia that surrounds a muscle. Now that we understand what we are aiming to release when we roll, let us begin by explaining what happens to the fascia when we use a foam roller.
Besides for the immense pain, (I promise you are not dying and yes it does get better) what we are doing is applying a localized pressure to the facia that will reduce the tightness in the muscle.
Ok, but why does that local tightness need to be released? The local tightness decreases the range of motion to our joints and decreases blood flow to our muscles. By doing this easy and simple manual manipulation it allows the muscle to become softer and more agile therefore decreasing our risk of injury and improving the strength of the muscle.
I hope this brief explanation helps you understand that, the benefits of foam rolling far out way the discomfort!
That’s me for now, stay tuned for my next blog on “Foam Rolling How To Guide”.
