What is a release anyway?

Everyone on Youtube and their blog wants to give you the cure all. And you can't really blame them either. I mean, what actually sells nowadays? Is it sexy or cool to tell people that a persistent pain, ache or dysfunction may take a multifaceted and drawn out solution that may incorporate simple and seemingly minor tweaks, eventually progressing onto more complex ones? Solutions that could take months to finally correct or even address?... NAHHH. It's always easier to sell THEsolution itself! Like the ONE and ONLY answer. The cure! An example of this is self myofascial release, aka glorified soft tissue massage (STM) techniques. They are often marketed by gurus as the be-all-end-all technique to achieving muscle and joint pain nirvana although they really are just a part of a larger puzzle.

Chronic issues, necessitate chronic solutions

People are typically looking for the magic bullet when it comes to chronic pain and tightness. They will typically take kindly to doing something like smashing a foam roller or jamming a lacrosse ball in their ass or chest to fix themselves on the spot. The fact of the matter is, yes, many of these techniques can provide you with neuromuscular adaptations that will increase range of motion about a joint or within the tissues themselves, and could even lead to noticeable increase in their ability to perform various movements with altered (and hopefully better) mechanics. This is the desired effect of utilizing these strategies. The problem is that there is a shit ton of articles and videos just offering localized massage techniques to address problems that are deeper than that. STM, in isolation, is not going to cut it.

This is where my most recent pet peeve has arisen, the connotation and associated magical powers of the “release.”

Fitness and rehab junkies, are obsessed with talking over your head and using massive words in order to baffle you into following them into all the sales funnels they have created for you. This is the reason why I think self myofascial release techniques have gotten so much play over the past few years. The word "myofasica" is so sexy, so stunningly erudite in its nature that many make the assumption that the exclaimer of such colorful language must be some sort of wizard of the human body.

Side note:

If you ever find yourself slightly confused at the language one is using to describe a certain phenomena or subject you are researching, just remember this quote from a guy that, despite a disheveled haircut, Im going to go ahead and say is smart, Albert Einstein: "If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough." Always look past the wordiness and try to see the actual content in their words. We've all sat through enough college lectures to be able to separate bullshitting with actual facts when we hear them. Always try to look to new and differing trusted sources for information into a topic besides a single opinion (yea, even mine).

STM techniques don't address the underlying problem

I am not saying that soft tissue mobilization (STM) techniques don’t work. They actually are an excellent supplement to any routine intended to reduce tonic or tight musculature which is a result of an underlying issue. Utilized peri-workout, STM can allow one to perform movements in new ranges of motion and with less restriction with muscles being used in their full capacity. With that being said, these techniques where you see someone jamming an implement into a tissue for an extended period can reduce the amount of neurophysiologic and tangible anatomical tension in an area, yet does not get to the core of the issue. They are helpful, but only a part of the overall picture to be considered.

Consider the WHOLE picture:

It is important to know, treating the result is sometimes effective in reduced subjective symptoms like pain and stiffness, but you also have to consider the overall pathology or derangement that led to the issue itself. Sometimes, this means rewinding all the way back to basics.

I really wanted an excuse to use this...

I just had an idea. I'll give an example of some critical reasoning one may use in relation to a tissue specific pain from the point of view of someone relatively versed in musculoskeletal pathology and evauation:

"My knee hurts -> I may have patellar tracking issues -> My IT bands may need soft tissue mobilization -> Maybe I need better control of the patellar-femoral joint upstream of my knee. Addressing the hips and their mechanics/muscle activation may be MORE effective -> My glutes aren’t adequately coordinating movement of my femurs and I just performed the hardest WOD/marathon/5k of my life -> My glutes aren’t firing optimally due to poor sequencing with EVEN more proximal core musculature -> I have dyskinetic and/or poor core muscle control -> I never have addressed my deep core musculature or their interaction with my hips and lower extremities which could be why I have poor glute firing in the first place, which could be why I have have irritated IT bands, which could contribute to poor femoral translation in inflammatory/provocative activities (such as a sudden increase in volume or difficulty of training with little or no previous experience in such activity) due to poor glute activation/timing.

Whew...

This is just ONE possible train of thought that addresses patellar-femoral pain disorder. It could be wise just to rest (***NOT*** sitting on your ass), let the tissues calm down and progressively build up the volume, load and intensity of training with proper movement patterns. This alone, may be enough for many.

Now imagine how myopic STM alone would be in this whole process. It is a shotgun technuque, meant to just go at a large issue with a general approach. Shotgun techniques don't require much reasoning, rationale or sound evidence to support. Due to the relative ease of them and low risk, they are worth a try.

Everyone likes a good moral:

Moral of the story: Releases are a great supplement to any routine, but we first need to consider the root cause of any symptom and attack that, with our programming, as well. This is one of those two birds with one stone type of things too. The more to the core of a pathology/musculoskeletal issue we go, the more we clean up our base programming/hardware which can help address a litany of potential and current aches and pains down the line.