04/11/2022
Hard Rollers+ Vibration vs. Soft Balls and No Tech.
One of our trainers has an opportunity to work with a pro sports team who use pricey hard vibrating tools as their self-myofascial release tool. He’s wondering how he can compete against such fancy tools with a bag of squishy grippy Roll Model balls.
People love splashy tech-laden gadgets. I get it. They seem more clinical with all their flashy lights, different settings & edgy packaging.
But are they really worth it?
Vibration is a great application. It can quickly move fluid into & out of areas, it can stimulate a variety of proprioceptors/mechanoreceptors in the area that respond to vibration. This can create a temporary numbness that may allow you to roll into an area that was previously painful. Vibration tools work quickly on the nervous system but they are typically large & encased in very hard materials to protect you from the motor.
The “LARGE & HARD” variables tend to be problematic when it comes to servicing the multiple tissues that you’re trying to administer therapy to.
Hard tools tend to initiate a protective muscle bracing response. The autonomic nervous system will engage muscles that are targeted by a hard tool to protect itself. Thus, HARD often makes you feel pain where the tool is rolling, because you feel the muscles in that local area bracing against the pressure.
Hardness does not equal depth when it comes to tools.
Softer tools mitigate the muscle bracing response & allow for the soft tool to actually find the tissue target and mobilize fascia to promote glide. Roll Model self-massage tools grip & compress tissues & because of their softness are able to mobilize tissues in & around joints where movement matters most.
Soft Roll Model balls also enhance proprioception at every level due to being able to sneak into small recesses where mechanosensors can be contacted & stimulated for proprioception gains. Larger hard tools bypass these regions - and the body protects against having hard tools dive into such spaces in the body.
Roll Model Balls are also portable, and don’t need plugs or chargers.
