Foam rolling? The stick? – An Introduction to SMR

Jeff Alexander is a colleague of mine who I have worked closely with in exploring of SMR techniques and tools.  I consider him the guru on the topic and I learn things from him every time we meet.  I asked him to explain what SMR is and why all those people are rolling around on foam rollers in the gym.

Self-myofascial release, or SMR, is the process of applying pressure to muscular knots with implements such as balls or rollers to bring about a release of tension, essentially the same release one gets from static stretching. It can be likened to self-massage. With the right instruction and caution, it can be an extremely effective skill set to have in your recovery tool box. SMR allows an athlete to effectively deal with some of the knots that develop during the course of their conditioning, without needing to wait until their therapist is available for an appointment. When the athlete does eventu- ally make an appointment with a massage therapist, the therapist can go to work on the really deep knots that quite simply were impossible to get to before because of all the other tension in the muscles.

With SMR, you can address tight muscles that affect movement on a daily basis. If you restore full range of motion to your body on a daily basis, then you can potentially avoid the pitfalls of non-impact injuries caused by poor bio- mechanics. Prior to the development of the rollers and balls we use in SMR, an athlete needed a significant knowl- edge of anatomy and very strong hands to address the deep knots of their body. Now, simply use a roller in the right place in short, 2-3 inch strokes and you can find the knots that need a little added pressure to properly stretch them. Whether you use a roller or ball, the key is applying only enough pressure to trigger the release in the mus- cles. This can be tricky, especially for the deep knots, since you might need to apply a fair bit of pressure to get through the outer layers of tissue.

If the muscle fibers are stretched too fast, they will tighten up to protect the body from injury. At the doctor’s of- fice, you know this reflex as the knee-jerk test. During SMR we sense this reflex as a cramp. So, you need to press just hard enough to trigger the release, but not so hard that you trigger the stretch-reflex.

Can SMR replace the massage therapist or chiropractor? No. You need qualified assistance to diagnose and treat conditions other than a tight muscle. Do you need the dentist to brush and floss your teeth every day? No. There are some things you should be able to do for yourself. SMR is a growing concept of self-care that enables the indi- vidual to not only feel better by relieving some of the tension in their tight muscles, but it also helps to reduce dys- functional compensations by restoring proper range of motion. As an added benefit, it encourages education about anatomy by simply causing people to wonder, ‘what muscle is that, anyway?’

Written by Jeff Alexander, founder of Network Fitness LLC
Self-Myofascial Release Coach CrossFit, ISSA, NASM, FMS, TPT

Read more about SMR at: www.networkfitness.com/blog
To download the SMR Introduction with 18 sample exercises, go to: http://www.networkfitness.com/SMR