The Hidden Factor Limiting Your Aerial Flexibility (And How to Fix It)
Fascia plays a pivotal role in how our bodies move and recover, especially in the demanding practice of aerial arts. Fascia is an interconnected web of connective tissue that runs throughout your entire body, enveloping muscles, nerves, and bones. This vital structure provides support and plays a role in everything from flexibility to injury prevention. Understanding how to care for and maintain healthy fascia is key for aerialists who want to improve performance and avoid injury.
What is Fascia?
Fascia is more than just a passive connective tissue; it’s a dynamic system that responds to physical and mechanical stress. Dr. Jean-Claude Guimberteau’s work highlights fascia as a three-dimensional, adaptable network that reacts to movements and loads, which is particularly important for aerialists. Your fascia supports smooth, controlled movements and helps distribute tension across the body. However, when fascia is tight or dehydrated, it limits flexibility, reduces mobility, and increases the risk of injury.
Fascia: The Romanesco of the Human Body
The structure of fascia can be compared to the intricate, fractal patterns of Romanesco broccoli, where each part mirrors the whole on different scales. Fascia operates as a fractal network, meaning it has the same repeated structures across various layers, from the surface of the skin down to the cellular level. This unique structure allows fascia to react to tension and movement in a highly adaptable way.
One key concept here is biotensegrity—the idea that the body’s fascia distributes mechanical stress evenly throughout the system. Just like a suspension bridge that adjusts to external forces, fascia responds to pressure, absorbing and distributing tension through its network. This is particularly relevant for aerialists, where complex movements place uneven loads on the body. Understanding how your fascia works and responds can help prevent injury and improve how you move by balancing strength, tension, and mobility throughout your practice.
By grasping the concept of biotensegrity, aerialists can train with more awareness, understanding how their body adapts and adjusts to the stress of various poses and movements, while ensuring stability and fluidity during performance.
Thinking about how our fascia looks like a broccoli is wild to me.
Fascia and Flexibility in Aerial Arts
Flexibility is essential for aerial arts, allowing for beautiful, dynamic movements and poses. Fascia significantly contributes to your overall flexibility. When fascia is tight, it creates resistance and limits your range of motion, no matter how flexible your muscles are. This is why working on fascia health through techniques like Self-Myofascial Release (SMR) is critical for achieving greater flexibility.
Fascia and Injury Prevention
Healthy fascia plays an important role in injury prevention. It helps the body stay aligned and balanced by distributing tension across muscles and joints. When fascia is restricted or overused, it can lead to imbalances, resulting in compensatory movement patterns that increase the likelihood of injury. For aerialists, where body mechanics are complex and varied, maintaining flexible and healthy fascia can help prevent common overuse injuries.
The Science Behind SMR (Self-Myofascial Release)
SMR is a proven technique for maintaining healthy fascia. It involves applying pressure to specific areas of tight fascia using tools like foam rollers, massage balls, or hands. Research has shown that SMR not only helps improve flexibility but also aids in muscle recovery and reduces delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS).
Our bodies are more connected that we perceive
Key Research Supporting SMR for Recovery and Flexibility:
A study by MacDonald et al. (2013) found that SMR using a foam roller can improve range of motion and reduce muscle soreness after exercise. This is particularly beneficial for aerialists who need both flexibility and fast recovery between intense training sessions【MacDonald et al., 2013】.
Another study by Mohr et al. (2014) highlighted that SMR improves arterial function and blood flow, which helps in the recovery process by delivering more nutrients and oxygen to the muscles and fascia, aiding in faster repair and recovery【Mohr et al., 2014】.
Sullivan et al. (2013) showed that SMR could reduce muscle tightness and improve hamstring flexibility after just a few minutes of foam rolling. This is especially helpful for aerialists who need to maintain flexibility in their legs for complex aerial poses【Sullivan et al., 2013】.
Techniques to Improve Fascia Health for Aerialists
1. Self-Myofascial Release (SMR)
SMR is highly effective for aerialists looking to improve flexibility and enhance recovery. Using foam rollers or massage balls, SMR targets areas of tightness, releasing tension in the fascia and allowing for greater mobility. Incorporating SMR into your post-training routine can significantly reduce muscle soreness and keep your fascia healthy.
2. Dynamic Movement
Fascia responds well to dynamic stretching and full-body movements. Incorporate exercises like shoulder rotations, leg swings, and hip circles into your warm-up routine to keep your fascia mobile and ready for action.
3. Hydration
Since fascia is highly hydrated tissue, staying properly hydrated ensures your fascia remains pliable and flexible. Dehydrated fascia becomes sticky and restrictive, so make sure you’re drinking plenty of water throughout the day to keep your tissues functioning optimally.
4. Professional Bodywork
Working with a trained therapist who specializes in myofascial release can provide deeper, targeted treatment. This is especially useful for aerialists who may have chronic areas of tightness or restrictions that need more focused attention.
Benefits of Practicing SMR Before vs. After Exercise
Pre-Exercise SMR:
Performing Self-Myofascial Release (SMR) before exercise helps to prime your muscles and fascia for activity. By rolling out tight areas, you increase blood flow and enhance mobility, allowing for better muscle activation during your workout. SMR can also help to reduce muscular tension, allowing for smoother, more fluid movements. MacDonald et al. (2013) noted that SMR can increase range of motion without reducing muscle performance, making it an excellent way to prepare for training【MacDonald et al., 2013】.
Post-Exercise SMR:
After training, SMR plays a key role in recovery. It aids in releasing muscle tension that accumulates during intense exercise and helps to reduce delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). SMR encourages the removal of metabolic waste, promoting faster recovery and reducing the risk of tight fascia leading to imbalances. According to Sullivan et al. (2013), post-exercise SMR can help maintain flexibility and mobility, preventing stiffness and aiding in long-term injury prevention【Sullivan et al., 2013】.
Incorporating SMR both before and after your aerial training can optimize your performance while promoting recovery and injury prevention.
Why Fascia Matters for Aerialists
Understanding and maintaining your fascia health is essential for improving flexibility, enhancing recovery, and preventing injuries in aerial arts. Incorporating techniques like SMR, dynamic movement, and staying hydrated can make a significant difference in your performance and long-term health. By taking care of your fascia, you'll be able to move more fluidly, recover faster, and prevent the common injuries that can occur in aerial training.
At The Aerial Performance Lab, we provide flexibility and mobility programs that incorporate fascia care to help you perform at your best.
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References
1. MacDonald, G. Z., Penney, M. D., Mullaley, M. E., Cuconato, A. L., Drake, C. D., Behm, D. G., & Button, D. C. (2013). An Acute Bout of Self-Myofascial Release Increases Range of Motion Without a Subsequent Decrease in Muscle Activation or Force. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 27(3), 812-821.
2. Mohr, A. R., Long, B. C., & Goad, C. L. (2014). Effect of Foam Rolling and Static Stretching on Passive Hip-Flexion Range of Motion. Journal of Sport Rehabilitation, 23(4), 296-299.
3. Sullivan, K. M., Silvey, D. B., Button, D. C., & Behm, D. G. (2013). Roller-Massager Application to the Hamstrings Increases Sit-and-Reach Range of Motion Within Five to Ten Seconds Without Performance Impairments. International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy, 8(3), 228-236.
4. https://www.amnacademy.com/our-blog/b/fascia-what-is-it-and-why-should-i-care
