Everyone knows it’s important to stretch. Ask somebody how much they stretch and they’ll probably say something like “I stretch a little here and there but I should stretch more”. But stretching is only part of the equation that leads to improved function, decreased chronic joint pain, and liberation within your own body.
Before we go further we have to discuss the difference between stretching and mobility training as we see it at Victory Performance.
Stretching is one’s ability to express a joint’s, or collection of joints, range of motion passively. Stretching is a component of a holistic mobility plan, but stretching alone does not adequately address the multiple factors that could be contributing to your chronic pain, tight muscles, and for some of you feeling like a prisoner in your own body restricted from doing the things you love to do.
The other components in the VPSC Mobility System are Rolling (aka Foam Rolling or Self Myofascial Release) and Activation exercises. These three mobility strategies address different limiting factors to your mobility/movement.
The order of the system is Roll, Stretch, Activate. This is why we call this R.S.A. mobility.
So what does rolling and activation do to help address your mobility and chronic pain?
Rolling is self-myofascial release, and uses the individuals bodyweight to apply pressure to the soft tissue of targeted area of the body. The resulting range of motion improvements and decreased pain are likely due to neurological changes that alter pain perception and increase tolerance to stretching. The takeaway here is that foam rolling effects the nervous system and opens a window for increased tolerance to the subsequent exercises in the R.S.A. series.
As mentioned earlier, stretching takes joints through a passive range of motion. This means that the muscles being stretched are generally "relaxed" as your take it to its maximal length. Over time passive stretching increases the ability of the muscle to lengthen passively. Improving passive range of motion has its value, but in our view it is only a piece of improving your mobility.
Individuals who have a ton of flexibility but lack control of their bodies through the ranges of motion they have access to, are at risk of soft tissue and/or joint pain similar to their less flexible counterparts. The resulting pain/discomfort may be for different reasons, but the outcome is the same. A person who eventually feels vulnerable and at risk of injury doing things they love.
This begs the question, how do we gain control of the new range of motion we created from foam rolling and stretching?
This is where the third part of the R.S.A. series comes in to play. Activation is any exercise that actively loads the tissues that we just rolled and stretched. Stretching is passive and activation is, well, active, and brings the whole thing together. Activation creates stability in the newly accessible range of motion. Stability in your new range of motion means it is controllable and usable as you go throughout your day. The activation exercise does another important thing for your mobility. When you end your mobility with activation it's like pressing save on your computer after typing up an essay. Next time you come back to that essay it's going to be exactly how you left it. Now, your body won't be exactly as you left after your previous mobility session, but you will retain much more of your new mobility from session to session when you finish with activation!
To put a bow on it, rolling creates a window of time where you muscles and pain receptors are less sensitive to stretch which helps to amplify the value of step 2, stretching. Stretching acts to add length to the muscle and providing access to new range of motion which feeds into step 3, activation. Activation takes the new range of motion created from step 1 and 2 and creates stability, making that new range of motion more controlled and usable in your day to day movements.
The VPSC Mobility system has similarities to what you might experience in a physical therapy appointment. A physical therapy patient might start with massage, scrapping, cupping, etc. before doing passive range of motion exercises, and then if the patient is ready, finish with some activation work.
There is WAY more that goes into physical therapy than that, and if you have a medical issue or acute injury (ankle sprain, ACL injury, injury from a car accident, etc.) you should see a physical therapist to address your injury.
The therapists at Mac Performance Physical Therapy are at the top of their field and have a practice located inside of Victory Performance. If you are in need of physical therapy we highly recommend them!
The Roll, Stretch, Activate series' we use with our clients at Victory Performance have proven time and time again to be a valuable resource for helping them to get out of chronic pain, feel liberated in their own bodies, and develop the confidence to do things they thought they couldn't do anymore.
Take a look at a couple of the R.S.A. series we do at VPSC and give them a try!
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