Self-Myofascial Release (SMR)

Self Myo-WHAT?


There’s no doubt that one of the most successful flexibility modalities that I’ve been utilizing, both for my clients as well as myself, is Self-Myofascial Release (SMR). To say I’m a huge fan of this flexibility modality would be an understatement. For me personally, it has been life changing from a physical perspective.




Though the term itself sounds really complicated, Myo simply refers to muscle, fascial refers to fascia (the web of connective tissue throughout our body). People often develop muscular adhesions (i.e. knots) in their soft tissue for a variety of reasons.



This not only causes “local” muscular discomfort, but can create imbalances in the antagonistic muscle groups. Antagonistic are muscles that work in opposition to one another. For example the hip flexors are antagonistic to the gluteals (i.e. butt muscles) and if the hip flexors are overly tight then they tend to “turn off” the glutes.



This leads to a host of physical issues that can lead to muscle imbalances, which can lead to other problems, in particular postural issues. I want to keep this post from getting overly technical so I will refrain from drifting into the neural mechanisms involved in all of this (such as reciprocal inhibition, autogenic inhibition, length-tension relationships etc.).



Tools Of The Trade

Commonly used tools for SMR are a foam roll and a tennis ball (“The Stick” and “Tiger Tail” are two other excellent tools and certainly there are others as well). The tennis ball is used primarily under the feet but can also be used for other, hard to reach areas, whereas the foam roll is used for everywhere else that is appropriate. I would never recommend rolling your cervical spine (neck) area for example. I’m also not a big fan of using it for the lumbar spine (lower back) area either.



The most common areas SMR is used are the Quadriceps (front of the thighs), Calves (back of the lower leg), Hamstrings (back of the thighs), Gluteals (Buttocks area), IT Band (Iliotibial Band, which runs along the outside of the thigh), the Hip Flexors (this can be a bit tricky with the roller, so sometimes the tennis ball works better for this area), the Adductors (muscles of the inner thigh) and the Lats (muscles of the upper back).


 As mentioned above, the feet are a great area to work using a tennis ball. I prefer to actually start with the feet myself and work my way up the body.There are deep fascial connections that run from the feet upwards, something Thomas Myers speaks of as “Anatomy Trains”.


A "Core" Resource


Mark Verstegen, in his Core Performance books (he has several “Core Performance”, “Core Performance Essentials”, “Core Performance Endurance”, “Core Performance Woman”, “Core Performance Golf”)) is a huge proponent of SMR and discusses it in his books and Core Performance Essentials DVDs.



I highly recommend Mark’s materials as excellent resources that are available at a very reasonable prices (compared to texts and dvds used by fitness professionals). His books are just great multifaceted fitness programs focusing on total fitness and nutrition as well as motivation!



Mark also created the DVD for the GO FIT Foam Roll available in most sporting goods stores. It is not my favorite foam roll because it does tend to compress after a relatively short amount of time and it is on the more expensive side. It does come with an excellent dvd but you can actually access most of his dvd footage for free on his website.


 Core Performance Foam Roll Video Links

Getting Started


The basic SMR technique is simple, you just roll over the specified area, if you feel particular tightness/tenderness then hold in that area for 20-30 seconds until the knot releases and then continue on from there.



Combining Self-Myofascial Release techniques with the various stretching techniques (such as static, active isolated, or dynamic stretching) can really provide more significant positive changes than just using those stretching techniques by themselves.



Though SMR is often referred to as a “Poor Person’s Massage Therapist”, this should not be taken to imply that it can replace a qualified massage therapist. For folks needing real specific deep tissue work I highly recommend seeking out the proper soft tissue specialist. In these situations, SMR makes a nice adjunct to that type of treatment since it is very convenient and can be used daily as needed.


Contraindications


There are some populations where SMR may be contraindicated such as those with Diabetes, Osteoporosis and other conditions. When in doubt, a qualified health care provider should give guidelines.



Happy Rolling! :)






Note on Purchasing Foam Rollers: I highly recommend “Perform Better” which is an excellent online company that sells a variety of foam rollers and other fitness items.  They tend to be very reasonable and they have many options available. For beginners, their Biofoam roller is a good option since it's on the softer side. Their PB Elite, is much more durable though may be a bit too intense for beginners.

Perform Better also has free online video and pdf downloads related to foam rolling as well which you can check out.



The “Perform Better” website is: (click on the link)  Perform Better Foam Rollers






Scott Fishkind Time4You Fitness


Time4You Fitness