Hello!
I recently began following you guys and reading/listening to as much of your materials as I can. I’m on week 3 of The Bridge and am loving the programming, also love your overall training philosophy and pro-science approach.
I understand you don’t believe there is much evidence to support use of stretching/massage/foam rolling/icing/flossing etc to reduce recovery time/DOMS or benefit strength.
My questions is, what about for treating trigger points/knots or other “out of the ordinary” pain and mobility issues such as piriformis syndrome, abnormally tight hips, or more chronic sore spots?
What I’m getting at is, does your “stretching or foam rolling is not helpful” philosophy just apply to general recovery, or does it also apply to treating more specific ailments?
thank you!
I would suggest continuing to make your way through the rest of our material on these topics, as they do get addressed as well. There have also been a number of threads in this forum on the topics of manual therapies that I would encourage you to search and read.
If you enjoy stretching, you may stretch to your heart’s content. However, we do not have strong reason to believe that it reduces the risk of injury, which is the usual context of this discussion.
I would also point out that your question assumes that 1) “trigger points” actually exist, 2) that “piriformis syndrome” is clearly defined and reliably benefits from external intervention, as well as a number of other assumptions. These are premises that we would challenge.
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It’s a good thing I stumbled upon your forum. After my leg injury, I started reading your articles on injuries. I didn’t think I could learn so much about it here. This information helped me start the rehabilitation process correctly, and I will be able to walk again in a few weeks. I still get various massages and use therapeutic creams. I also bought a massage gun to strengthen my muscles faster. If you also want to choose such a gun, you can visit the store massage-gun-guide.com. For many people, it can help even better than a regular massage.
I would not say that stretching somehow reduces the risk of injury, rather a dynamic warm-up before training reduces the risk of injury.
The best restorative massage, aimed at relieving muscle inflammation, is carried out after thermal procedures and preliminary warming up of the muscles.
Massage after injuries is performed only while taking into account the degree of damage, rehabilitation needs, etc. As with the most common massage, stroking, rubbing, kneading, etc., are used commonly after injuries. For example, if the soft tissue is damaged, the masseur’s movements here should be as accurate as possible, as with bone damage. The best therapeutic massage, aimed at relieving muscle inflammation, is carried out after thermal procedures and preliminary warming up of the muscles. I did this massage at goldtantriclondon.com after a chest injury.
It’s always best to consult with a healthcare professional to determine the best course of action for your specific needs and goals. They can consider your medical history, current condition, and other factors to help you make an informed decision.
There’s some evidence that massage, stretching, foam rolling, and other forms of soft tissue therapy can help relieve pain and improve mobility when it comes to triggering points, knots, and other specific mobility issues.