13295 N. Illinois St. Suite #229 Carmel, IN 46032
Athletes are invincible.
And I am referring to all types of athletes. Whether you are training for your first ever marathon or championing for Olympic gold medals, active individuals of all calibers need to maintain and fine-tune their instruments. The body is the vehicle physically active individuals use, and every car needs its upkeep.
It cannot be stressed enough how vital a body wellness strategy is for athletes of all types. While it is often easy to recognize and pinpoint specific traumatic injuries that happen to us, overuse injuries are the silent killers to athletes everywhere. Overuse injuries often occur when the body is pushed past its current physical limits or level of conditioning. These injuries can result from a list of reasons, with the main ones being poor technique and training errors. The repetitive strains placed on specific points of the body can create several symptoms in the body. There is nothing more debilitating to an athlete than experiencing physical ailments. We all deserve to have our bodies functioning at the highest of levels. So take control of your health and let your efforts show the long-lasting impact of routinely getting your physical and mental bodies in alignment.
While it may be a common practice for athletes to have goals, have strategies and programs, or have a warm-up/cool-down routine, it is uncommon that there is an emphasis on actually listening to your body. I am an advocate for everyone having a high body awareness. Perhaps it is even more common for strong-willed athletes to mentally override some of the signs and symptoms occurring in the body. Knowing your body and what is presenting in your physical field is a crucial step in keeping your alignment as an athlete. Habits fall into several categories. But regardless of what you believe to be true of habits, they form the conditions around our lives. Small changes in our awareness during each step of the training process can be the difference between continually feeling impacted by our health and rising above. By taking proper action toward maintaining your body’s balance, you can ensure that you are operating at the highest levels.
Bodywork should be at the forefront of the recovery and maintenance methods for athletes. It has often been characterized just for the relaxation benefits. The benefits of constant tuning of the body can save you more money in the long run when you consider the outcomes of not properly taking care of the body.
Look, I understand. We all desire a one-stop-shop kind of maintenance method. We are often already pulled in many directions. Time or resources play a big role in our decision-making. There are options if you are willing to look for them. Massage therapists, such as myself, have been training in multiple forms of bodywork to give their clientele this all-around experience. An active individual’s body needs more attention than you may believe. Incorporating this experience into your lifestyle will be the difference in how long you can move without resistance. Our bodies do not have to hold us back. With the proper attention to them, we can form a deeper connection between the mind and body than previously thought.
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While you chew on these bites of information, check out what regular foam rolling can do for you below.
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BENEFITS OF FOAM ROLLING:
Incorporating a foam roller into a routine can improve circulation, release knots in muscles, and can generally aid in helping muscles repair and heal faster.
HOW IT WORKS? — (ANATOMICAL PERSPECTIVE)
Superficial fascia is soft connective tissue just below the skin that wraps and connects the muscles, bones, nerves, and blood vessels of the body. Muscle and fascia together make up the myofascial system. Any pain, soreness, reduced flexibility, or restricted range of motion can be attributed to the sticking together of the fascia and underlying muscle tissue. The process more commonly referred to as adhesion stems from various reasons of disuse, lack of stretching, injuries, and repetitive stress/strain. All these categories lead to high potentials for adhesion. Myofascial release is a bodywork technique that massage practitioners use sustained pressure on the soft tissues while applying traction to the fascia. It results in a softening and lengthening (releasing) of the fascia, simultaneously breaking down scar tissue or adhesions between skin, muscles, and bones. Bodywork techniques can relieve the discomfort caused by these common adhesions, such as IT band syndrome (iliotibial band syndrome) or shin splints. It can even improve flexibility and range of motion.
Now that the technical terms are out of the way, how does this process work? —
Foam rolling can act in tandem with the trained practitioner as a supplemental routine of personal bodywork. Like trained hands, a foam roller works to target muscle groups and various trigger points through self-massage. The repeated pressure and traction created through the sustained movements allow the foam roller to stretch muscles and tendons in hard-to-reach areas. Using your body weight on a cylindrical foam roller can help you to heal trigger points, soothe tight fascia and increase blood flow throughout the body.
What are the real benefits? These 9, and more!
1. Helps you Relieve Stress
Long days call for a release on all levels. Foam rolling the knots can help release the sore spots and tension built up in your tissue.
2. Improve Blood Circulation
A healthy blood flow is necessary for healthy tissue and organ function. Blood circulation allows the continuous exchange of nutrients and waste in the cells in addition to the stimulation of fluid through the lymphatic system.
3. Accelerates Lactic Acid Return to the Body
Lactic acid builds up in the body through prolonged and strenuous exercise. It is noticed in the body through the association to cramps and muscle fatigue. Although lactic acid absorption is present in the aerobic and anaerobic energy consumption process, foam rolling will streamline the breakdown of lactic acid post activity.
4. Post Injury Tissue Mobility
Have you ever had an injury that still causes you problems months to years later? It could be the result of scar tissue. New layers of fascia are laid down as scar tissue after we get certain injuries. It can continue to be problematic by not addressing if the fascia is broken up, mobilized, and aligned. Scar tissue is not always a direct inhibitor of past injuries. However, scar tissue from past injuries will inhibit normal tissue mobility and function. Short-term activity may experience no change because the body will compensate, but there are underlying issues of tissue mobility that could directly affect your training in the future. Foam rolling can help break up the scar tissue and may prevent some injuries during training.
5. Can Aid in Pain Prevention
The benefits of foam rolling occur when we make it a habit. The human body takes the brunt of our daily strains. Standing or sitting in odd positions for extended periods can lead to general aches or pains you wish no longer existed. Regular foam rolling can help prevent cramps and release built-up tension that transitions into chronic conditions. Keep your preventative care up, and your problems might dissolve!
6. Maintains Spine Health
Alignment and mobility are integral to the spine. As mentioned above, work and daily activities can lead us down a path of awkward positioning during waking hours. Ease out those daily pains by encouraging muscle balancing and promoting effective spinal movements.
7. Reduces Cellulite
Cellulite has proven to bother all body types and cause issues across all genders. No one is truly exempt. New research has indicated one cause of cellulite is due to shifts in connective tissue structure. Cellulite is common for causing dimples in the skin of the abdomen, pelvis, and lower limbs. Foam rolling helps stretch connective tissues and improve circulation by breaking up interwoven fat fibers. It is just one step in the process of preventing future formation and reduction of the existing cellulite.
8. Improves Power Through Flexibility
Increase the performance capability of your muscles through myofascial release. The more flexibility your muscles have within the normal range of motion, the more power they will supply. This directly relates to elastic energy stating the more stretch a muscle gets, the more stored energy it has, the more force it will generate. In combination with self-myofascial release(self-massage), proper stretching, strengthening, and training could boost your performance levels and help you maintain optimal physical health.
9. Helps Prevent Common Injuries
Too tight muscles and other common exercise-related injuries can be avoided by taking the time to foam roll regularly. It ensures you are avoiding injury trigger points by massaging away fascia buildup in muscles.
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The information presented is for educational purposes only. If you know that you are dealing with chronic conditions and or specific diseases, please always make decisions with the consolation of a trusted professional or experienced practitioner. This is not a direct guideline to follow, but rather a resource to help aid the individual in their health and wellness journey. It is recommended to do more research on the content of this information. Please take this information purely as supplemental to your unique situations. Be mindful and consider if this information best suits your situation. If you have questions on any of the information presented in these resources, please contact me further. I am always happy to provide any additional information.
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