Dancers, I’m sorry for the cliffhanger in my previous article– I’m sure you’re all so eagerly waiting to hear about myofascial release techniques! Even if you haven’t been anxiously awaiting, let’s dive into this tool, and unpack the ways in which you can utilize it to ease your muscle tightness. 

The term “Myofascial Release” was first introduced by Dr. Andrew Taylor Still (1828-1917). Recall that fascia refers to the highly innervated connective tissue that separates muscles from one another, and holds nearly all organs, muscles, blood vessels, and nerve fibers in place. Dr. Still is said to have described the fascia as follows:

“I know no part of the body that equals the fascia as a hunting ground… The fascia gives one of, if not the greatest problems to solve as to the part it takes in life and death. It belts each muscle, vein, nerve, and all organs of the body… The soul of man with all the streams of pure living water seems to dwell in the fascia of his body.” (Taken from Philosophy of Osteopathy, pgs 22-23, 162, 164-68). 

Building upon Dr. Still’s osteopathic philosophies, Dr. Ida Rolf further developed the technique of myofascial release in the mid-20th century. She coined the practice “Rolfing,” and believed that correcting the misalignments of the fascia was the key to curing many health ailments. 

Just an aside about Dr. Rolf– she received her Ph.D in biomedical sciences from Columbia in 1920, and was both a practitioner of alternative medicine as well as a researcher in organic chemistry. It may not be Women’s History Month yet, but I think we can take a moment to appreciate her excellent contributions and how much she accomplished in a time where women were not welcome in the workplace, let alone a research lab. 

The theory behind myofascial release is as follows: because the fascia interconnects the entire body, pain experienced in one region of the body may be related to a distant fascial tightness. Firm “mechanical force” must be applied in the direction of restricted motion to break up “abnormal cross-linkages” (Gamber, Euhardy, 2009). 

So How Can You Accomplish This?

The great news is that you can perform myofascial release for your tight and tense muscles from the comfort of your own home. While the fascia, again, is all over the body, self-myofascial release is typically performed for the muscles of the back, lower neck, and legs. You may be familiar with the term “trigger point.” This term refers to sensitive areas of the muscle fascia, and while they are still being studied, you may feel them in your own body as distinct nodes or knots of pain. 

There are three primary modes of self-myofascial release that you can practice at home.

1. Foam Rolling

Foam rolling is actually a form of myofascial release, and a very common tool that athletes use. That said, you must make sure you are utilizing your foam roller in the most optimal way. The foam roller is a great tool to use for individuals with back tightness. Laying backwards, lace the foam roller at your mid-back, and lift your hips, torso, and head off the ground. Use the leverage of your feet and quads to push your body over the foam roller, rolling back and forth. For a deeper release, keep the chin tucked into the chest with the hands behind the head (kind of like a sit-up position). Check out this video for reference:

Aside from the back, all athletes– dancers especially– need to be performing self-myofascial release for the IT Band. If you have been keeping up with the previous knee series here on ABCD, you’ll know that the IT band is a thick band of tissue that runs all the way from the coxal region of the hip through the kneecap, and that it is prone to exceptional tightness in athletes. For this reason, dancers need to be rolling out the ITB from the top of the femur all the way down to the base of the rectus femoris muscle. Check out this video for reference:

Foam rolling can also be used for the calf, inner thigh, hamstrings, and even the lats (latissimus dorsi and teres muscles) of the back

2. Tennis Ball Myofascial Release + Active Release

This form of self-myofascial release is my favorite, because it gives you the ability to also perform “active release” while applying pressure to the muscle. Active release refers to moving the muscle by moving the arm, leg, etc. in a particular way, and when combined with the application of pressure to the muscle, has the unique ability to just melt away tension. If you’re interested in learning my active + myofascial release routine, please do stay tuned– I plan to make a video on this in the next few days. 

If you’d like to try out this amazing technique, here’s the essentials: begin by placing a tennis ball where you experience muscle tightness. For example, I experience a lot of tension in my upper back– in my upper trapezius region. I will lay down on a yoga mat, and place the tennis ball right under my upper back. It will cause a decent amount of pain, as you are applying pressure to an already sore muscle. From here, I will extend the same arm up straight into the air (i.e., if the ball is placed on the right upper back, lift the right arm). Keeping the ball in place, I will lower the hand from its 90 degree position all the way down by my ear, and bring it back up. Bear in mind that this will not be a pleasant sensation at all, but after repeating it 10-12 times and then removing the ball, you will feel a remarkable difference. 

The same technique can be used for glute tightness, ITB tightness, and calf tightness. For tenderness in the glutes, you can place the ball underneath one glute while laying down on your back. Bring the legs into a butterfly position. While keeping the ball under the base of the glute, you can practice bringing the knees together and then back out into the butterfly position. 

Similarly, you can perform a clamshell exercise with the ball underneath the glute and IT band. Laying on your side, place the tennis ball underneath either the side glute (head of the femur region) or the mid-thigh (if you want to target the ITB). Again, this will not feel pleasant at all! Maintaining this position, bend the legs into a clamshell position, and practice opening and closing the legs as you would in a normal clamshell exercise. 

To release the calf muscles (gastrocnemius and soleus) as well as the Achilles tendon, place the ball in the region where you experience pain. Apply pressure into the ball as you move the lower part of your leg around to get a nice massage. 

3. Stretching

This form of self-myofascial release is no surprise, but it is essential nonetheless. Instead of considering more localized stretches, try stretches that involve a broader range of muscle fascia. Exercises like the seated forward fold are fantastic for this purpose, as when you perform this stretch correctly, you stretch the fascia from the bottoms of the feet to the top of the neck. Similarly, reclined spinal twists with a leg grab of the foot (on the twisting side) is another great option to stretch out a broad range of fascia. You can also perform a child’s position for a restorative and gentler option, as well as a pigeon pose to release the deep fascia of the pelvis and psoas. 

I hope you found this article on self-myofascial release and active release techniques helpful! I believe that if we all spent a little more time on injury-prevention, we might spend a little less time in the doctor’s office… and not to mention, injury-prevention is a form of self-care! Try these out, and let me know how you feel after. Did you enjoy these techniques? Did they help ease your chronic muscle tightness? I want to hear your experience, so please don’t hesitate to reach out. Until next time, dancers!