Let’s talk about how to relieve muscle soreness and loosen up those tight muscles
throught a technique called myofascial release. What type of stretching is that you ask? According to Mayo clinic, “myofascial release is a manual therapy technique often used in massage. The technique focuses on pain believed to arise from myofascial tissues — the tough membranes that wrap, connect and support your muscles”.
Have you ever felt super sore and rubbed that particular area and it hurts like hell when you do, but afterwards it feels a little less tight and painful? You have done myofascial release therapy and you didn’t even know it. A foam roller would fall be considered a type of myofascial release as well as using my personal favorite tool, a lacrosse ball. Some people recommend using a tennis ball – and that may be great for rolling your foot out, but in my opinion, nothing works better than a lacrosse ball. It can really dig in and release the fascia. (Say that in your best Austin Powers bad guy voice!)
Benefits of Myofascial Release
Before I share some information about how you can use a LAX ball, let’s talk about some of the benefits. Soft tissue work essentially involves giving yourself a massage. It will help loosen up any stiff areas and allow your muscles and tissues to move and contract more effectively, which helps reduce muscle soreness, increase blood flow, speed up recovery time, and relieve tension.
If you are new to this type of massage, let me be honest and tell you it’s probably going to hurt like hell while you are doing it. For some, it can be almost unbearable, but the thing is that with this type of technique the more you do it, the less uncomfortable the pressure will be. And if it hurts that much, you really need to do more of it. Breaking up the fascia is the goal. You want your tight muscles and fascia to be brushed out like a knot in your hair.
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- Lie on the ground and put ball underneath one side of your butt.
- Position your body so that the majority of your weight is on top of that area.
- Remember to keep breathing and try to relax.
- Hold the ball in the most painfully tight area for around 30 seconds.
- You can move the ball around as well but make sure you are holding it in those pain spots for longer periods to really break up the fascia.
Next time you feel super sore, or have a knot in your back/neck/leg/body – try giving myofascial release a try to loosen up your muscles and get you back to moving normally again.