Do you have your daily dose of soft tissue work?

I have been reviewing my skills and knowledge (as is the path of development) according to how I work with my clientele. I strive for an approach that is effective, efficient and simple. Over the past month or so, I've been wading through data, trying new techniques and finding what works best for me and my clients. More or less, I've been a bit reflective.

1. SOFT TISSUE
2. STABILITY, MOBILITY (STRENGTHENING & FLEXIBILITY)
3. SPECIFICITY

I like to call this "The Three S's"

SOFT TISSUE:

Manual therapists can help improve function, reduce swelling, improve recovery, increase tissue viability, prepare athletes for competition, propagate rehabilitation and affect psychological well-being. In fact, the research is suggesting that the combination of soft tissue work and neuromuscular stretching such as PNF has a larger impact on ROM than stretching alone. This article (2011) by Renan-Ordin et. al., suggests that manual therapy specifically targeting trigger points (which is a local contraction in a small number of muscle fibers in a larger muscle bundle/motor unit that when compressed will elicit a pain response) followed by stretching provided short term benefits for men and women experiencing plantar heel pain. Can we assume that these fascial relationships are probable and responsive throughout the rest of the body? I do. Trampas et. al. (2010) state similar results here in a study including 30 males with tight hamstrings who were divided into two groups. Group 1 received stretching only. Group 2 received manual therapy in addition to the stretching protocol. Guess which group increased ROM? That's right - Group 2.

Best bet:

• Physical Therapist, ATC, Chiropractor or other tactile based clinician
• Massage Therapist (Sports/Kinesiology focused or equivalent)

Here are some tools you can use if you are not a state licensed manual therapist:

• Medicine Ball
• Tennis Ball
• Foam Roller

Below is an example of "The Stick".

If you would like to learn more about how to perform rolling, check out Mark Verstegen at Core Performance here. A true professional - his instruction is pristine.

Tip: Just ensure you are not rolling over any edema (swelling or bruising), varicose veins or those with chronic pain disorders such as fibromyalgia.

At Efficiency in Motion and NPTI Seattle, we focus on leading with soft tissue work during the preparation of activity (workout, game, etc...) on areas that are extremely over-active - then move directly into the dynamic prep. Afterwards, we slow it down and spend more time on soft tissue before moving into active and passive based flexibility exercises. We find this helps to improve ROM, movement efficiency, kinesthetic response and recovery after a hard workout.

As for the other two aspects listed above, we'll dive into that later. For now, begin to incorporate soft tissue into your life and gain the psychological and physiological benefits that many of us have been tapping into for years.

Enjoy!