Have you ever seen any professional, from physical therapists to massage therapists (or any personal trainer) using a foam roller or a tennis ball to massage someone? It seems relaxing, right? But you should know that what they are doing is much more than that. We’re talking about a method called Myofascial Release (or MFR), which is a technique used to loosen up the muscles and regain the movement patterns of certain ones.
And to better understand this method the Blog Sport & Health interviewed our partner, Personal Trainer and specialist in injury recovery, Larissa Barranco.
Blog Sport & Health:
What is Myofascial release?
Larissa Barranco:
Before explaining the technique you need to understand what myofascia is. Every muscle in our body is covered by a connective tissue called fascia, which also involves the viscera, arteries and veins. Its functions are to protect the tissues they cover and, mostly, to maintain a connection throughout the locomotor system, from the skull to the feet.
When the body is not in alignment any wrong muscle contraction may generate tensions in the fascias, compromising its plasticity and forming what we call the “trigger point”. This rigidity tends to cause a loss in range of motion and can endanger the function of a muscle.
That’s when the technique of Myofascial Release comes in.
Blog Sport & Health:
How is the Myofascial Release?
Larissa Barranco:
Myofascial Release technique involves pressing and sliding the areas of tension, either manually or with some implement, for the purpose of undoing the nodules. And this relief of muscular tension retrieves the amplitude of movements, improves the musculoskeletal function and accelerates the recovery of the muscle tissue.
Blog Sport & Health:
Can this "pizza roll” even prevent injuries and relieve the muscle pain?
Larissa Barranco:
Yes. The pressure imposed on the release by foam rollers, tennis balls, stickers and other implements is able to generate an immediate improvement in these disorders. Such results happen because the manipulation generates a rebalancing in the coordination of movements and transmissions of forces between the body segments.
Blog Sport & Health:
Are there any restrictions?
Larissa Barranco:
Only in the cases of acute rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, osteomyelitis or fractures in the regeneration. People with phlebitis, aneurysm, bleeding disorders or anticlotting therapy; bursitis, advanced diabetes, and pregnant women in the first quarter.
Blog Sport & Health:
What is the best time to do it, before or after training?
Larissa Barranco:
There is no predetermined pattern. It can be done before training in order to ease tensions and prepare the muscles to perform their functions properly and increase the range of motion. Or during the training, for the maintenance of the muscle conditions (very common to see during the breaks of basketball games). Finally, it can also be done at the end of the training, prioritizing a relaxation and assisting in the muscle tissues recovery.
Blog Sport & Health:
What should professionals who apply this technique care about?
Larissa Barranco:
During execution a professional must make a combination of three movements that are performed in order to extend the muscle and fascia. The movements should happen in the tension place and be repeated until the area is relaxed. They are: slip traction, friction and kneading.
Blog Sport & Health:
It is possible to self release with balls and rollers?
Larissa Barranco:
Yes, the release can be done actively! In this case, the individual rubs the muscle tissue pressing, with his own body weight, the roller or ball, emphasizing the areas that typically become rigid and that limit the movements. The pressure duration time can vary from 30 to 90 seconds, depending on the application intensity.
Blog Sport & Health:
Where can we buy the roller or the ball?
Larissa Barranco:
Sports shops, stores of medical and physiotherapy articles, and even in pet shops because there are a few dog balls that are rigid and sharp and that do the same effect of a tennis or lacrosse balls, but at a more affordable cost.
And be careful! It is not always where we are feeling the pain or discomfort that it is the place in the body that should receive the “release.” So it is important for you to have a functional assessment with a trained professional to know where there are, in fact, the imbalances and tensions.
Pay attention to the tips above in order to prevent injuries, stop muscle pain and also relax because we deserve to be free from pains and aches!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3kzpC0l9Y8
I hope you had enjoyed the tips and, if you have any questions, send them to us here in the comments, and personal trainer Larissa Barranco will be glad to answers them.
