Get Off The Foam Roller (blog post)

[Garrett Smith]

Stuff to think about:

Get Off The Foam Roller by Mike Nelson

I just can't get into the foam roller or painful massage. Edgar Cayce heavily advocated against deep massage, FWIW.

[Dave Van Skike]

Love it.

[Gittit Shwartz]

VERY interesting. I think I need to check out that Z-health stuff.

[Steven Low]

Hmm, fairly interesting view on things. Disagree with some points, agree with others.

Still like massage and foam rolling as an option to help whether it be injuries or tightness or whatever... but it needs to be combined with good prehab work and stretching and whatnot. By themselves they can help somewhat (at least in pain alleviation if nothing else) but generally won't actually solve anything.

[Mike ODonnell]

I roll on it to crack my back.....best $10 chiropractor I ever met.

[Yael Grauer]

I don't think Edgar Cayce ever did Olylifting or MMA though...

[Dave Van Skike]

when I practiced massage, hands down the worst, most candy ass crybaby clients were the athletes who thought they needed really deep work, lots of trigger point and myofacial stuff. When it comes down to it most athletes are dealing with a sufficent level of background pain and soreness that they can't handle really agressive or even moderate pressure.

Along the same lines, I think a lot of people jack themselves up with misguided roller work. Frankly, for most people, the classic "swedish" massage, real gentle flowing work, moderate pressure, alternating steam and ice, and light passive and assisted stretching works the best for recovery purposes.

[Derek Simonds]

Originally Posted by Dave Van Skike

when I practiced massage, hands down the worst, most candy ass crybaby clients were the athletes who thought they needed really deep work, lots of trigger point and myofacial stuff. When it comes down to it most athletes are dealing with a sufficent level of background pain and soreness that they can't handle really agressive or even moderate pressure.

Along the same lines, I think a lot of people jack themselves up with misguided roller work. Frankly, for most people, the classic "swedish" massage, real gentle flowing work, moderate pressure, alternating steam and ice, and light passive and assisted stretching works the best for recovery purposes.

I used to always ask for deep / hard pressure. In my wife's adventure to become a massage therapist I have learned a ton just by proximity. She has been giving me massages that she is practicing for her average patient. I have found exactly what you were saying to be right on for me. The flowing, light pressure, heat and ice stuff really works. She just got her massage rocks and started practicing them on me. I definitely would have never had a hot rock treatment anywhere else but man it works.

[Yael Grauer]

I love deep tissue but my massage guy combines it with Swedish and has a tendency to just do what he thinks is necessary for the moment, body part, etc. I love shiatsu and lots of assisted stretching too. Good stuff.

[Garrett Smith]

The point is to deal with the nervous system. Helping the nervous system figure out where/what the musculoskeletal system (particularly the joint proprioceptors) needs or is at is the purpose of tissue work--the muscles are not the issue most of the time, the CNS is.

The feedback that soft tissue work gives the CNS is where the majority of the benefit lies, not in the simple kneading (or more would be better, which we see is not so).

Nearly every practitioner I've talked to has gone to lighter application/techniques over time.