Mobility has been a buzzword for a few years now. In most people’s minds, it probably has to do with all kinds of foam rolling, massage gunning, lacrosse balls, mobility bands, static stretching, scraping, all kinds of stuff. The problem is when people exclusively rely on these passive interventions in order to improve their movement or help any pain they may be dealing with. In some cases, performing these kinds of activity too frequently or intensely can be detrimental.
Why do these things make you feel better though? All of these interventions have one thing in common, some form of deep pressure or sustained stretch on a muscle or joint. Our body was designed in a way that we have checks and balances in place to keep our tissues safe when subjected to certain forces like rapid stretch. In general, deep stretch and deep pressure will cause a muscle to relax. This is achieved by an inhibition of the nervous system structures that are a part of every muscle. So, when we foam roll etc the muscle relaxes and this usually allows for improved flexibility and decreased pain sensations.
Unfortunately these effects are almost always temporary. If we think of “tightness” or “pain” as just symptoms, which they are, then they are taking place because of a result of something else. Until the factor that is causing these symptoms is taken care of, the symptoms will almost always return after a period of time.
If you have persistent pain or flexibility issues, you should work closely with a professional to figure out what is causing these issues. Fix the problem and the symptoms will disappear. That being said, performing mobility work is not a bad thing when it is done properly and with appropriate dosage
Let’s look at a few variables to consider:
Frequency
How often should you perform passive interventions such as stretching, foam rolling, etc?
Most people shouldn’t worry about performing these types of activities more than a 2-3 times per week
Hit different muscle groups. Lower body one day, upper body the next, etc.
Duration
Research has shown that the relaxation effects that foam rolling, stretching, etc cause can be achieved with pretty minimal time demands.
Don’t worry about performing these activities for more than 90 seconds-2 minutes at a time.
Longer =/= Better
Intensity
If you put yourself through intense discomfort with your mobility drills, you are probably doing too much. And you definitely shouldn’t be left bruised afterwards.
It doesn’t require near as much force as you’d think it would to achieve the effects you are after. You aren’t “breaking up scar tissue” or anything like that. Just causing the nervous system to chill out a bit and moving fluids around.
It should be a relaxing process, not something where you have to hold your breath and yell to get through it.
Performing mobility work is not a bad thing, but using it as a cure all for your crappy movement and pain is a bad thing. Move well, move often, train through a full range of motion, lower the weights when you are hurting and get yourself assessed by a Physical Therapist who knows what to look for.