Tag Archives: rolling

Move better, feel better: the power of myofascial release

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Our bodies are built to handle incredible forces thanks to bones, muscles, tendons and fascia working in harmony. But when pain or recurring injuries strike, we often overlook one key player: fascia. This dense, connective tissue weaves throughout the body like an intricate network, influencing how we move and feel.

Ever peeled the skin off a chicken before cooking it? That slippery, white film you see is fascia—it’s the same tissue that wraps around your muscles, organs and bones. In fact, the fascia that lines your bones is what gives structure and support to the entire body.

Justin Price, a leading corrective exercise specialist, compares fascia to a spider’s web: When a fly gets caught in one part of the web, the spider senses the change in tension throughout the entire structure. Similarly, when something’s off in your body, the entire system feels it. A tight calf, for example, might affect not only your ankle but your knee’s alignment and even the way you walk.

When fascia becomes restricted due to injury, repetitive stress or tension, it forms adhesions. These adhesions can limit range of motion and cause compensations in other muscles and joints, explains Price. Learning effective self-myofascial release techniques can help you target these adhesions, rejuvenating the soft tissue and restoring your body’s natural movement patterns.

So how do you keep your fascia healthy and flexible? Self-myofascial release. These simple techniques help relieve tension, break up adhesions and restore mobility—no fancy gear required. A few basic tools, like tennis balls, a baseball, a golf ball or a foam roller can work wonders to release tension in restricted areas. Combined with specific stretches right after rolling, you’ll effectively target tight spots.

Tennis or golf ball foot roll

Tennis or golf ball foot roll

Target: Plantar fascia and lower leg

Tools: Tennis ball, golf ball or any small ball

How to:

  • Place the ball under your foot.
  • Roll back and forth to find tender spots.
  • Pause and apply pressure on sore areas.
  • Roll for 30 seconds to 1 minute per foot.

Pro tip: Keep a ball near your desk or couch as a reminder to roll daily.

Foot and toe wall stretch

Target: Foot and ankle flexibility

Foot and toe wall stretch

How to:

  • Keep the ball of your foot and base of your toes on the floor.
  • Press your toes and knee gently against a wall.
  • Slowly roll your foot and ankle inward toward the wall.
  • Hold for 15-20 seconds.
  • Repeat twice daily.

Target: Psoas and hip flexors

nis ball hip flexor release
Tennis ball hip flexor release

Target: Psoas and hip flexors

How to:

  • Lie face-down.
  • Place the tennis ball just to the side of your belly button.

Gently roll to find tender spots between your belly button and hip.

  • Pause on sore spots for 20-30 seconds.
  • Total time: 2-3 minutes per side

Pro tip: Internally rotate your leg to deepen the stretch.

Follow with a hip flexor stretch

Target: Hip flexors

Kneeling hip flexor stretch

How to:

  • Kneel down, with one foot forward. Pad your knee if needed.
  • Keep your hips tucked in and under.
  • Tighten the glutes and abs isometrically during the stretch.
  • Gently change arm angles to further target hip flexors.
  • Hold for 15-20 seconds, 2-3 cycles.

Taking just a few minutes a day to release and stretch tight fascia can dramatically improve your mobility, reduce pain and even boost performance. Small, consistent actions lead to big changes—so grab a tennis ball and start rolling your way to better movement. 

Published in the Idaho Mountain Express September 26, 2025 https://www.mtexpress.com/wood_river_journal/features/fitness-guru-move-better-feel-better/article_0b114c31-3afd-47c9-bacc-1f9ec9ec9b6f.html

Fitness Guru: Stretch your hips like a pro

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A woman is stretching on the floor with another person.
Warrior 1 involves leg strength and mobility.

By CONNIE ARONSON

Skiing, snowshoeing, yoga or walking requires strength and mobility. Consider the yoga pose Warrior 1, where you stand in a lunge position with your arms stretched straight up overhead, neck extended with the head back and eyes looking up. Doing this pose involves leg strength as you stretch your leg and hip muscles. Your spine extends, the chest opens, and the arms, shoulders, upper back and neck stretch! All in all, Warrior 1 strengthens and stretches you.

You need flexibility as much as cardio, as it enhances optimal movement and just plain old feels good.

If you feel stiff and tight lately, you might want to work on your flexibility for the health of your body. However, if you’re not quite ready for Warrior 1, let’s start with an essential hip flexor stretch.

Hips don’t lie

The hip flexors are a muscle group that can get chronically shortened from prolonged sitting at a computer.

If your hips are stiff and tight, it can lead to poor hip mobility and is associated with poor core and hip stability.

Tight hips also affect the health of the whole back, as they cause the pelvis to anteriorly tilt. If you picture your pelvis being a bowel of water, the water would spill out the front. When you stand in perfect alignment, the pelvis is naturally rotated about 10 degrees, meaning that the front of the pelvis is slightly lower than the back of the pelvis.

A & B: Tennis ball and hip flexor stretch

While it may sound technical, the technique referred to as self-myofascial release is easy to do, and is like self-massage. Self-myofascial release techniques are used to release and rejuvenate tight muscles and other soft tissues to prepare for later stretching and strengthening exercises.

There are 2 parts to this stretch:

A woman is stretching on the floor with another person.
Tennis ball roll on the hip flexor

Tennis ball roll on the hip flexor

Lie facedown, and place a tennis ball beside your belly button. This targets the psoas major muscle, which lies under the abdominals. Turn your foot in slightly, and scoot your body to move the ball to any sore spot all the way down to the top of the hip.

Try to relax on any tight areas for 20-30 seconds, for a total of 2-3 minutes on both sides.

Right after rolling, go into the hip flexor stretch as follows:

Kneeling hip flexor stretch.

Kneel down on one knee, and tuck the pelvis under using the glutes and abdominals. Raise your arm over your head on the same side as the kneeling leg, and reach over your head, toward the opposite side of the body.

Hold the stretch for 15-20 seconds, and repeat 2-3 cycles on each side once a day.

A woman is stretching on the floor with another person.
Kneeling hip flexor stretch with arm reach

https://www.mtexpress.com/wood_river_journal/features/fitness-guru-stretch-your-hip-flexors-like-a-pro/article_674f0d2e-7f28-11ec-9b9d-639bf6f49d52.html