Relief From Muscle Adhesions

Relief From Muscle Adhesions

Adhesions are essentially scar tissue that naturally develops in your body
after any type of trauma. Adhesions after surgery are very common. They
can cause organs to twist and move out of place and they can cause a
tremendous amount of pain. They can also be responsible for a wide range
of issues from pelvic pain to infertility.

My experience with adhesions is a little different. I’ve never had abdominal
surgery so I’ve not experienced any of the problems mentioned above.
However, in my younger days of weight lifting, my legs were tremendously
over-developed.

During weight training, the overloaded muscles suffer from micro-trauma
and this is what strengthens the muscle. However, it can also cause micro-
adhesions. These are small fibrous deposits deep within the muscle.

These micro-adhesions may or may not cause any problems. For years, I
did not feel any effects of the adhesions in my legs and I was not even
aware that they existed. However, in the past few years my legs have
ached more and more.

Relief From Muscle Adhesions

For a long time, I dealt with my aching legs by stretching in the morning.
While shaving or brushing my teeth, I took advantage of the time every
day to get in some light stretching. This is a great habit and I recommend
it for everyone.

That worked for a long time and gave me enough relief that I did not notice
the pain during the day. But, that changed over the past 2 or 3 years.
The soreness has gradually increased. In fact, it was so gradual that I just
ignored it and wrote it off as stiffness and “getting old”.

It was only recently that it occurred to me that something was not right. I
took a short hike and my calves were so sore the next day that it got my
attention. There was no good reason to be in that much pain after such a
short hike. Something was wrong.

My research led me to the conclusion that I was likely suffering from
adhesions in my muscles and I wanted to find an answer. I knew that
adhesions could be broken up so I tried some self-massage therapy.

I could be wrong but I think the world’s best massager is the Thumper. If
you have never tried one, they are awesome! It’s like heaven on sore
muscles. But heaven is not what I experienced on my calves. It was like
torture. Even the lightest touch hurt more that I can describe. In fact, if I
pressed harder, it hurt less.

So, I proceeded slowly and gently. To my absolute amazement, after
about 15 minutes of torturous massage, my legs felt completely normal -
no pain at all! I knew that I was on to something.

However, by the next day, the pain was back again and I knew that it was
going to take multiple session to really fix this problem. After several
sessions with the Thumper, I knew that the treatments were helpful but
the pain during the treatment was substantial. I needed a better solution.

The Best Solution

I searched around and I found a therapy called Active Release Technique
(ART) and it sounds like exactly what I need. Everyone raves over how
effective it is and how quickly it gives relief. But, I’m a self-help kind of guy
and I’m also too cheap to pay for multiple sessions with a professional
unless it’s the only solution.

So I continued to search and I found my miracle. This will sound a little
funny so be prepared. I learned about a technique that involves rolling a
hard item across the muscle. It elongates the muscle and breaks up the
adhesions. You can use a short piece of PVC pipe, a tennis ball, or
anything else that works for you. My solution was a rolling pin. Yes, the
kind you use to roll out a pie crust.

I lay on my back and roll the pin up and down the leg muscles. I've also
done it siting in a chair. I find that the pain during the treatment is almost
non-existent and the results are great.

Another substantial benefit is that it does not take as long with the rolling
pin as the massager to get relief. That could be more related to how long
I’ve been doing the therapy than the method I’m using but I don’t know
how to be sure one way or the other.

So, bottom line – if you are having muscle aches that are not just the
result of working hard, it could be that you have muscle adhesions from
micro-trauma in your muscles. This is especially true if you are (or were)
an athlete and have spent a lot of time developing your muscles.

The same type of micro-adhesions can also be created from repetitive
motion. So, if you do the same type of motions over and over and you
experience pain as a result, this treatment should be helpful for you.

If you want to do a little research on your own, do a Google search on
muscle adhesions or Active Release Therapy. Then, get out your rolling pin
and go to work. You will love the results!

Here’s a 6 minute video that explains adhesions and ART.

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6/10/10 Update -

I've recently discovered another fabulous way to make sore muscle pain go
away. I've been supplementing with un-denatured whey protein and it's
amazing! Even without the techniques described above, the muscle
soreness in my legs is reduced by about 80%!

I believe that it all has to do with the way that un-denatured protein
facilitates intracellular glutathione production.

To learn more, read my short article on whey protein powder. Cheers!

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