Lately the term Self-Myofascial Release' is acquiring a lot of buzz in media, and more so in the fitness and massage world. Years ago the term could only be heard in hospitals, physical therapy clinics as well as the chiropractors office, but has now become a household name. So what exactly is Self-Myofascial Release? Well before we attempt to tackle the subject, we should understand what the fascia is.

The role of the fascia is to hold organs in their place, allow movement throughout the body, and provide a place where muscles can move. The fascia is found almost everywhere throughout the body: the muscles, joints, bones and organs, to say the least. They are a web-like structure that is very strong in nature and made of fibrous connective tissue.

A frequent occurrence in a lot of individuals (especially athletes) is the tangling of their muscles and fascia in certain parts of the body usually as a result of injury or overwork (but they can also develop from a sedentary lifestyle too).These tangled areas are classified as trigger points, or even more commonly known as knots.' If left alone, these trigger points might cause pain, tenderness and soreness and maybe diminished range of motion, flexibility, and function. Accordingly, the act of releasing' these trigger points is known as myofascial release'. By massaging these points, you send out a signal to the brain to release that muscle area from the surrounding fascia.

The reason why Self-Myofascial Release,' or SMR has gained a great deal of popularity lately is because of the fact that everyone can now do it in the comfort of their own home, in the office, or perhaps at the health club, provided you possess the proper equipment which includes foam rollers, or massage balls. You no longer have spend a lot of money at the masseuse or spa to get a deep, therapeutic and beneficial massage.

Massage balls are really simple to use. They can simply be used to massage the chest, thighs and other easy to reach arease. As opposed to the more challenging foam roller, that requires the use of ones body weight to to get to target deeper trigger points. Though it sounds like SMR is just another massage, it actually is much more than that. It requires actually searching for trigger points in the body and working out them until they release from the fascia.