Great article about a physical therapy technique by Gabriella Boston on Washington Post. : Foam rolling is a muscle-releasing technique in which you roll the tight muscle on a hard, cylindrical foam roller to increase blood flow to the area and reduce inflammation. Stretching works to counteract tightness and tension built up in muscles that have been working “by physically pulling the muscle back into its ideal ‘default’ or relaxed state,” “It’s like priming the muscles for the stretching,” Masset says. “The massage or foam rolling helps release the muscle fibers and increases the blood flow. “Where you feel the problem is not necessarily where you have the problem,” Masset says. “A tightness in your calves can be caused by a lack of foot mobility and strength.” In other words, no matter how much you massage, foam roll and stretch, you won’t improve chronic muscle tightness unless you understand and address body imbalances, Masset says.
Posted on: Tue, 29 Jul 2014 17:26:42 +0000