Let’s Stop Smashing our Tissues
Theraguns, foam rollers, ridged roam rollers, rolling beads, deep pressure massage…there are so many methods and tools to smash your tissues into submission, but are they really working for you?
My concern and understanding is that there is a societal and cultural belief of “no pain no gain” that is still pervasive. When people tell me that they feel so good from these intense approaches, I wonder is it that they actually feel relief from them or is placebo effect kicking in - have they convinced themselves that they should feel good from them and therefore feel the results they feel.
I’m going to lay out my case for why I believe these more aggressive techniques are counter productive.
Fascial tissue. If the culprit of somebody’s pain and discomfort is fascial tissue restriction, research shows us that fascia responds best to long, sustained holds and lighter pressure.
Lymphatic system. Our lymphatic vessels are sensitive to extreme pressures. If you’re doing these more direct, aggressive approaches thinking you’re helping with circulation, think again.
Nervous system. When our brain perceives threat or danger, it activates our sympathetic system. The physiological impact of the sympathetic system includes stiffness and tension in order to prepare for action. When our brain feels safe, you have a lot better chance of promoting tissue ease and pliability.
I used to go for heavy handed approaches because that was what I was surrounded by in dance, athletics, in the Pilates community, in physical therapy environments. When I went to study soft tissues in anatomy labs, massage school, JFB-MFR, and Upledger Cranial Sacral Therapy, I learned otherwise, experienced profound personal impacts that were previously elusive, and witnessed incredible results for my clients.
So the next time you go to smash your tissues, please think twice. And if you want to know what to do, stay tuned. I’ll do another blog post soon on that topic along with continued posting on the matter.