I have to admit that I see people using the foam rollers and other self massage techniques more than ever before, but it still surprises me how many people still don't know the benefits.
Whether it's new clients or the regular gym members that consult me on how to get out of pain, I have to tell you self-massage has got to be one of the most underrated "get out of pain and speed healing" techniques I know.
It doesn't matter if you spend your day sitting at a desk, are a weekend warrior with some nagging aches and pains, or a competitive athlete looking to decrease soreness and improve performance, self-myofascial release (self-massage) works.
As the old saying goes, “sometimes you can’t see the forest for the trees”? This morning I was reminded of just “how deep in the trees” I am.
I was approached by a woman that I see regularly at the gym who asked me how to get rid of her knee pain she's had for the past 4 weeks. She stated that she enjoyed Spinning, long bike rides on the weekends, but spend most of her day at her desk at work. In addition, after sitting for long periods of time, standing up is quite painful, though the pain decreases after moving around for a bit. I asked had she had any falls or other impact to her knee and she stated, "No".
She also said that she had begun stretching, but that only made a minor difference in the pain. It’s gotten to the point now where she is unable to enjoy her usual cycling and it's beginning to make her depressed.
I asked, “Do you do any self-myofascial release or self-massage”? She said, “What’s that”? I then proceeded to demonstrate some techniques using my Energy F/X Tube.
While I was demonstrating the techniques it hit me...
I take for granted that many people don’t know about the benefits of self-myofascial release. In a nutshell, self-myofascial release is a type of self-massage using a hard roller, tube or ball. It helps break up scar tissue and increases blood flow to the affected area. Not to mention it can increase your range of motion and improve performance.
Many weekend warriors and sedentary people end up feeling stiff and hurting, and mistakenly believe there is something wrong with their joints that might require surgery. In fact, most of the time all they need to do is regular self-myofascial release.
Before you give up hope and think the only alternative to being in pain is surgery, check out the videos below where I demonstrate how to use self-myofascial release techniques to get out of pain. It's simple to do, and literally doesn't take more than a few minutes a day.