With all the talk on here and the books ive been reading on the AT Im suprised no one has discussed hiking injuries alot more. My previous thread I talked about going to see a personal trainer and physical therapyst about why I was limping 8 miles into a hike. They determined that I have superficial fascia growth all over my legs. Athlets spend alot of money for personal trainers and massuase sessions to rub these out after every work out session. But you can do this yourself for free using Foam Rollers. Below is a quote from the SportsMedicine.about.com website on the subject.
[QUOTE][The superficial fascia is a soft connective tissue located just below the skin. It wraps and connects the muscles, bones, nerves and blood vessels of the body. Together, muscle and fascia make up what is called the myofascia system. For various reasons including disuse, not enough stretching, or injuries, the fascia and the underlying muscle tissue can become stuck together. This is called an adhesion and it results in restricted muscle movement. It also causes pain, soreness and reduced flexibility or range of motion.
Myofascial release is a body work technique in which a practitioner uses gentle, sustained pressure on the soft tissues while applying traction to the fascia. This technique results in softening and lengthening (release) of the fascia and breaking down scar tissue or adhesions between skin, muscles and bones.
Myofascial release has also been shown to relieve various muscle and joint pains such as IT band syndrome and shin splints as well as improving flexibility and range of motion.Foam rollers are inexpensive and with a bit of experimentation you can target just about any muscle group. The latest style of foam roller, the Grid Foam Roller, has a unique design and construction that provides a more targeted trigger point self massage
/QUOTE]
My personal trainer has shown me how to use these foam rollers to rub myself out. Says I need to do this after every hike or workout. To help prevent injury on the trail why don't people bring these foam rollers and use them at the end of everyday?