Individuals who feel pain in their muscles, ligaments, or joints may not know the root cause of the internal trauma and tightness. However, this pain and stiffness could be caused by a part of the body many people haven’t even heard of: the fascia.
Fascia is the casing that connects and surrounds one’s inner muscles, organs, bones, and blood vessels. In the muscles, myofascia contains nerve fibers that, when stressed, tighten up into small, painful knots. These adhesions can limit one’s mobility and impede various physical abilities. Let’s take a closer look at the why concerning this subject and how to fix the problem at hand. Here are three ways that muscle adhesions can impact athletic performance.
Less Strength and Range of Motion
Adhesions in the body ultimately affect one’s strength and range of motion. Keep in mind that muscle strength comes from motor neurons in the muscle’s fibers and not the size of the muscle in question. Essentially, the more the fibers contract, the harder the muscles work. Adhesions tend to create shortened muscles that will have a harder time producing a contraction. The results are poor movement patterns and impaired strength execution.
Higher Risk of Injury
Muscle adhesions can make any individual feel weak and out of commission while they’re trying to perform at their regular standard. Athletes may not be able to execute full motion, use full strength, or reach their usual level of intensity for their sport. The inability to handle the necessary stress makes a person increasingly vulnerable to bodily harm or painful injury. A weak muscle can tear during fast movements, and it cannot properly stabilize or protect the joints.
Inhibited Nerve Function
Restrained neural functioning is another one of the ways that muscle adhesions can impact athletic performance. The frustrating dilemma of restricted or pinched nerves near adhesions can result in numbness, tingling, and incapacity.
Remember, the human body functions as a whole. Specific parts of the body struggling to communicate with others often results in reduced response time.
How To Achieve Optimal Athletic Performance
Athletes understand the importance of maintaining their health and well-being to meet the physical demands of their sports. Athletes currently dealing with muscle adhesions should strive to reach optimal levels of physical function once again. Physical therapy treatments are key to efficiently unbinding tightness, decreasing scar tissue, and breaking up adhesions. Specifically targeted techniques and specially designed tools can help athletes and fitness enthusiasts achieve pain-free performance and range of motion.
Myofascial Release Therapy
This type of therapy utilizes self–myofascial release tools and techniques to lengthen fascia. Look no further than Mobilization Magic™ for a self–myofascial release tool that offers a unique sideways stretch for effective pain relief. Learn more about the self-help recovery and rehabilitation benefits of the MMT for athletes on our website today.