After a long day in the office or a strenuous bout of fitness training, fascia training with the “Blackroll” is supposed to promote relaxation, ease pain and improve mobility. At least that's what the retailers say. But what does medical opinion have to say about the Blackroll?
The fasciae are the webs of connective tissue that hold our bodies together from head to toe. You can visualise them as three-dimensional networks of strands and fibres that envelop and permeate through the body. For example, they connect bones to muscles and provide support to the organs.
The tissue functions as both an adhesive and a lubricant within our musculoskeletal system. If the fibres are smooth and elastic, we can move more easily, but if they become “gummed up” or “matted”, then movement is more difficult. If we don’t get enough exercise, the fibres gradually stiffen over time. Since the fasciae contain large numbers of nerve receptors, experts suspect that they are the cause of various unexplained aches and pains.
Rediscovery of the fasciae
Until relatively recently, no one paid much attention to the fasciae. However, this all changed when Blackroll’s range of cylindrical fascia rollers – available in various sizes and styles – began to spread like wildfire through gyms and fitness centres. This best-known fascia roller has become the face of fascia training. Unlike other forms of exercise, the roller allows you to perform a kind of self-massage. The pressure that would normally be applied by a masseur instead comes from your own body weight as you move over the roller. This is said to help ease sclerosis, adhesions and matting.
With all the hype surrounding Blackroll products, it is easy to forget that roller-based exercises are not the only way to train your fasciae. Stretching exercises, yoga, Pilates and swinging/rocking movements are also regarded as working the fascia.
Fascia training: medicine’s poor relation
From a research perspective, there is to date no hard evidence that fascia training offers any actual benefit. Doctors who have been asked about it are also sceptical. What people are agreed on, however, is that the fasciae represent an exciting and to date under-researched field of medicine.
At the same time, it remains difficult to diagnose pain associated with the fasciae. Nevertheless, a number of physiotherapists who are already using Blackroll rollers regard this new piece of equipment as a positive development. If deployed correctly, they can speed up regeneration after injury and improve mobility.
However, people with lymphatic or circulatory disorders, skin inflammation or osteoporosis should take care when exercising with a foam roller. Pregnant women should also avoid certain fascia exercises.
Learn more about fascia training in the challenges section of the Benevita app.
