RollStretch: a new way of working with fascia | Stretch Therapy
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- Опубліковано 10 лип 2024
- For more in-depth guides, please visit stretchtherapy.net/
Today's video introduces you to RollStretch, a combination of stretching techniques and fascial rolling and releasing techniques, using simple and inexpensive devices to focus on parts of the body that are hard to roll using the usual methods.
We show you how to use polished sticks to work the muscles and fascia of the back of the legs, to help you to be able to sit on your heels on the floor comfortably. This rolling technique will help you get a deeper full squat in time, too (because the backs of the legs soften, the knee and hip angles can close more in the bottom position). This technique alone has helped many people get the full squat for the first time. The larger point is that any time joints need to close, the tissues on the inside of this movement have to yield-and so often they do not. RollStretch teaches the body how to yield, and what yielding feels like. Whole-body proprioception is woken up in the process.
In time, even Achilles tendonitis can be addressed and treated using these techniques.
We feel that targeting fascia in this mechanical way (rather like getting a deep tissue massage) really helps you stretch more effectively. Using the simple tools we recommend (sticks, various size balls, and other objects) can make an amazing difference to how you feel and function.
We use and recommend the Travel Roller (www.travelroller.com/)
#hamstrings #soleus #gastrocnemius #fascia #fascial release #Achilles tendon
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timestamps
00:00 - Intro
01:08 - the stick
01:34 - how to improve sitting on your feet
01:47 - working on hamstrings, and both parts of the calf muscles
03:15 - working on the Achilles tendon
04:00 - running down the legs for a second time
04:35 - if you have pulled a calf muscle in the past
05:30 - what to do when you find a tender spot!
Thank you very much Kit 🙏
Definitely adding this to my regular maintenance routine 👍👍👍
it works.
thank you SO much for this. Immediate relief and smiling again!
What we do!
First time I did this (I saw it on Tom Merrick's ankle mobility video) I couldn't believe the horrible pain it caused (particularly in the Achilles tendon). Probably a masochistic type of pain, it was awful, but liberating. I do it every week, and after about 5-6 weeks, the sensations are much less extreme than before (but still noticeable). I wonder if they'll keep decreasing in intensity to almost no tenderness or just stabilize into moderate pain.
Yes, definitely. In time, you will simply be aware of the weight leaning on you, and no pain.
Amazing
We will be releasing a full program on RollStretch in the coming months. I will announce it here. Thanks!
I have struggled with neural tension in the lower limb(mostly calf) when I stretch straight legged for quite some time now.. I’ve just recently started using this stick drill when I saw it on a Tom Merrick and it seems to be the best thing for me to restore pain free range of motion. I have also tried nerve flossing and piriformis stretching. My question is, is it safe to do this exercise once on a daily basis?
Have at least two days off a week; if this technique will be successful wth you, it will leave some residual soreness.
I also discovered this from Tom Merrick's videos. I tried it and Wow!.. very painful - I could not bear to put all of my weight down. BUT! So excited about my results. Before this stretch I could reach just 2 inches past the patella in a forward fold. Immediately after the stretch I could reach 3/4 of the way down my shin! And even two days later the results are still there! This is amazing! My question is.. how often can I practice this release?
Try once a week; it's reliable and low risk. Low risk is better!
Thank you! @@KitLaughlin One more Q: Do you have a roll stretch technique for the IT band or side of the thigh?
@@marcyg321 Yes, we do, but if this is a problem for you, suspect a possible lack of stability (either strength or activation) of the core muscles-in our experience, ITB is only a problem where this is the case. In any case, the technique is simplicity itself: simply lie sideways on the roller (and it has to be a really hard one) and slowly move yourself up and down over it. It is extremely painful. Don't go down over the knee.
Do you recommend doing this before stretching AND limbering? I have neural tension when I do a forward bend with straight legs, so I believe tight calves are the culprit in accordance with what I've read in Overcoming Neck and Back Pain.
re. neural tension: v. likely the calf muscles (look up nerve tethering). Doing before stretching, occasionally, will let you decide how best to use these techniques. The variation from person to person is huge, and only by testing can you make this assessment.
@@KitLaughlin Thanks for the quick response! I'll try it during my next stretching session.
Any recommendation on the minimum thickness of the stick ?
Try a broom handle as a test and decide if you want to go thicker. It is better to start with thinner sticks and work your way up.
So I have had chronic tightness in my right calf to the point where there about an inch difference in flexibilty and occasionally serious tightness that limits my ability to use it properly.
I've tried other things but I'm going to give this a serious go. I've had this tightness for years so I'm interested to see.
Question:this is causing my feet to go numb is that bad, it's not painful
Also, ouch.
Yes, the initial sessions are - painful, there are no other words for it! But the changes you'll experience are major, if you can let yourself relax into it. Do please report back in a week or two.
@@KitLaughlin Hey, so here's my feedback, apologies for the length
. I did this exercise once a day for various times between 10-20 minutes 6 days out of 7. I did nothing else for my calves in this time.
The Good:
First and foremost I think it's very effective, my right calf has caught up a lot with the left, to the point where spending 5-10 seconds stretching it will get it to be just short of the range my left has when cold. We're talking about below .5 of a cm difference compared to around an inch when I started. (the tightness in my calf has been a problem for around 6 years, and I've tried other things that haven't been effective)
My left calf has also made some flexibility gains, albeit far smaller than my right.
The 'Bad':
I developed minor knee pain, (patellar tendon) in my left leg. While, I believe it more than possible that the other exercises I've been doing have contributed to this, I believe this may come down far more to the intensity I performed the exercise at and the frequency of it being every day.
Also, the pain happened on my 4th day doing this exercise, but on that day I did it for longer than usual, just over 30 minutes while watching TV (and I had been going at it quiet intensely). I took the 5th day off and then resumed for the 6th and 7th day, this time timing myself to no more than 10 minutes. The pain didn't come back but the knee is still sore to the touch.
My conclusion:
I think this is a great exercise, that I went to hard on too soon.
My next step is to take a couple of days off of it, to give my knee a chance for more healing, and then to resume doing it, but taking my time with it intensity wise, keeping it to around 10-15 mins and doing it every other day. I also intend to add a couple of calf stretches as well.
Sorry again for the length of the message.
@@csn2887 Please, never be sorry for detail; it is gold for those who can hear. You wrote, "I think this is a great exercise, that I went to hard on too soon." Most likely, and that is a very fast response from your body, too, so that is most encouraging. As for your plan from now: excellent. Do the calf stretches after the rolling will probably get the best results. And kudos for exploring the exercise like this and reporting back-this kind of experimenting (or 'tinkering' we call it, following Taleb) is the core of our work. Thank you.
@@KitLaughlin INDEED
Is this good to do after using jump ropes for 30 minutes? Because my calves are really killing me
Yes. And you do need to take care of calf muscle pain of that kind before that pain becomes something more serious. Skipping (speaking as an ex-amateur boxer), is one of the absolute best exercises you can do, aerobically and for spring (plyometrics).
How does facia get affected? Is it only pressure, or you sheer it somehow?
Please try the techniques and see if they work for you.
The fact is that what actually happens to fascia is hotly debated, in the literature and in practise. Personally, my perspective is that, as fascia contains all the neural structures (look up Pacinian corpuscles, for example) that other tissues do, it is intensely alive (and not the "inert ground substance" I was taught in A&P 30 years ago). Because it's alive (in a sensing, feeling way) the brain has a huge influence on how it behaves. The effects are both mechanical and mental, IOW.
Kit Laughlin understood, thank you Kit. In fact this is my daily experience, that stiffness depends on my mood and other way around.
@@MXB67 Yes; two things: one's mood profoundly affects one's flexibility, and this one step forward, two steps back, three forward, etc., is in fact what progress looks like and feels like. It's nothing like how it is represented on YT! And until a desired range of movement becomes your personal normal, this is how it progresses. This is why we say do the practices on a regular basis with no regard to outcome - and pay attention to how the body is feeling on the day and modify your practice accordingly. If you keep on practising, you will get there in the end.
Pretty please, where can we get this stick?
Lola, there's nothing special about this stick; use a broom handle or any other suitable diameter stick for your first attempts. The stick in the video is (from memory) 38mm, but we use ones that are 32mm, too. The thicker ones are more intense, which why I suggested a broomstick to start with. Any hardware store's dowel section will have these thicknesses. Please do report back once you've tried the sequence.
How often would you recommend doing this? Is daily ok?
Twice a week works well. It's always a good idea to give the body time to recover.
@@KitLaughlin Thanks!
Excellent video. Delightfully torturous
It is, isn't it? The amazing thing, though, is how quickly this will change, if you practise from time to time.
How long will it take
No one knows. Asking that question is like asking the question "How long is a piece of string? "Literally no one knows: you have to try and find this out for yourself.