Introduction
Fascial roles are becoming more and more popular. This is mainly due to their simple and quick application, which is also possible in principle at any time and place. It is hardly surprising that they are so popular in a society in which people are increasingly suffering from back problems and muscle tension at a young age due to predominantly sedentary activities and lack of exercise. “Blackroll” is just one of many manufacturers of the so-called “self-massage rolls”. However, since the terms fascial roller and blackroll are often used synonymously, this will also be the case in the following article.
General Information
If you want to deal with the topic of fascial roles, you should first of all ask yourself what fasciae actually are: The word “fascia” comes from the Latin word “fascia”, which means “bundle”, or “band”. Ultimately, it is used to refer to a wide variety of connective tissues which, among other things, surround muscles and connect the various components of our body with each other. Ligaments, tendons and tendon plates are also usually included in the group of fascia.
Fascial training, which also includes the use of blackrolls, is based on the knowledge that a large number of overuse injuries in sports are not caused by damage to muscles or bones. Instead, they are often due to a weakness of the collagen-rich connective tissue, i.e. the fascia. It is assumed that the structure of the fascial tissue adapts to repeated loads and thus becomes more stable, whereas the collagen fibres are disordered when there is insufficient load and therefore act more unstably.
The regular use of fascial rollers is intended to remedy this situation and train the connective tissue to a certain extent. However, other effects are also attributed to Blackrolls: they are said to be able to reduce the release of cortisone and thus also the generally perceived stress in everyday life and promote the blood circulation in the muscle tissue. However, they are not viewed uncritically throughout: Some sports scientists, for example, are of the opinion that the excessive use of fascia rolls can provoke or at least promote inflammation of the muscles.
However, the majority of scientists consider their use to be predominantly positive and consider them above all as a supplement to normal strength and endurance training to loosen and relax the muscles and connective tissue. Fascial roles can be used in different ways depending on the form of the role. Both classic massage and trigger point treatments are possible. You can find general information under: Fascial Training
Indications for the Blackroll
Fascial rolls are recommended for a very wide range of complaints in various parts of the body, but also for the prevention of these same complaints. In most cases, however, Blackrolls are used to treat back pain and tension in the area of the spine, such as the neck. Therefore, they are especially popular as a balance to a daily routine that mainly involves sedentary activities.
However, they can also be used to treat a wide range of other joint problems. Knee joint pain in particular can be relieved by relaxing the fascia of the upper and lower leg muscles and the muscles themselves. At the same time, the treatment of one joint can also alleviate and prevent complaints of the neighbouring joints.
The reason for this is that joint pain often leads to poor posture, which in turn leads to incorrect loading of the entire functional joint chain, which in turn causes complaints in the remaining joints of this chain. This principle can also be transferred to the upper extremities, where fascial rollers are also used, although less frequently. They are particularly popular for treating shoulder complaints.
Blackrolls are also used to warm up the muscles before training and to relax after training. On the one hand, this is intended to reduce the susceptibility to injury and on the other hand to promote the regeneration of the muscles between training sessions. This is most likely to be achieved by increasing the blood circulation in the muscle tissue.
According to the manufacturers, this can significantly increase the effectiveness of the training program. However, contrary to another statement very popular with the manufacturers of the Blackrolls, that Fascial Rolls can even partially replace physical endurance and strength training, this is not the case. In principle, Blackrolls should be regarded as a supplement to muscle training.
Ideally they are used in combination with strength and endurance training, for example to relax and loosen the muscles after a strengthening training of the trunk muscles. Furthermore, they are not able to replace physiotherapeutic exercises in the case of serious complaints. As a patient, it is therefore important to realistically assess whether independent exercises are sufficient or whether medical advice should be sought.
