Softening

Hi,

I've started foundations 3 months ago and it's working great for me, I've recently started also stretch series and thrive which I also find very good.

Before starting this courses I used to lift weights and compete in martial arts events, in those times I've accumulated many muscle "injuries" such as knots, stiffness and I feel almost every day burning pain in my neck, traps, ql, and triceps, I'd like to know if anyboby can suggest a way to ease and soften this problem while keeping working on foundations. I can be more specific if necessary.

thanks for paying attention. Matteo

You should consider to have some specific sessions with a physiotherapist specialized in miofascial release. Al so I can say from my experience that the more mobile and flexible you become the less muscles and fascia problems you will have.

Have you tried any self myofascial release in the mean time?  Lacrosse ball, rumble roller, super nova, etc?

Hi,

I did, but it actually gets even more inflamed

On 31 July 2016 at 5:04 PM, Alessandro Mainente said:

You should consider to have some specific sessions with a physiotherapist specialized in miofascial release. Al so I can say from my experience that the more mobile and flexible you become the less muscles and fascia problems you will have.

I second this.

if your self releases are making you worse then you need professional help.

I can recommend taking tumeric as a supplement, it has amazing anti inflammatory properties. Google how to make tumeric/golden paste. Works wonders for soreness. ( of course do all the other things recommended here as well!!) .

I make "golden milk" too as a nightcap  Simmer 1tsp turmeric powder + pinch black pepper in a little water for 5 min or so (cooking it it out makes it more digestible, and black pepper increases absorption by gazillion-fold) then just top up with your choice of milk (i prefer non-dairy), heat till warm, add a teaspoon of preferred sweetener (like honey, or sugar) and enjoy before bed. I also like adding some grated ginger when simmering, which is too famous for anti-inflammatory properties, and makes the drink extra tasty!

In terms of myofascial massage - it is not unusual to feel sore as if you have DOMs. If you have a lot of tough knots, breaking them up is akin to the damage the tissue takes when you're tearing muscle fibres doing heavy lifting. Your body will need to have a little time to recover and heal. Are you having sufficient rest between training sessions to allow your tissues time to recover? You should not be doing intense stretching or using lacrosse ball on the muscles that have worked very hard earlier that day, as both can tear muscle fibres. Foam roller with your own body weight should be OK though... The most beneficial scenario would be: sign up for a few weeks worth of deep tissue sports massage (once a week, followed by a rest day), before your normal workouts do foam roller myofascial "warmup" to lengthen and prep the muscle fibres, and after intense exersize some gentle stretching. Intense stretching should be done on the days you're not doing heavy lifting... Hope this helps! Professional sports massage is really an incredibly beneficial tool, if you have well embedded knots one session will not do it, commit to whatever your therapist suggests. But once they go you'll be flying  

Cold showers and ice baths also help with inflammation. Massage is another option. SMR is nice, but I find myself way too sore and oft not recovered by the time of my next workout. Another option would be yoga (the app yoga studio comes to mind). Another option, still, would be the stretch series. 

By simply hitting the stretch series and my Foundation mobilities with adequate rest a lot of my nagging issues slowly go away (while also including all the other suggestions mentioned: of taking turmeric/curcumin with pepper and green tea, seeing a physiotherapist for myofascial/massage work, and then cold baths and/or cold showers about daily). Good luck.

Everyone is mentioning myofascial release and other nutritional suggestions. I might add that you sound like you could be a candidate of a postural holding pattern. You could be constantly turning on muscles throughout the day when you don't have to or your posture is in a position that is requiring your muscles to always be active.