Body Tempering

Are you having trouble moving properly or having pain?  People are constantly getting small injuries that although may not lead them to seek treatment they cause an amazing amount of discomfort in their daily lives. 

There are many things to understand about body tempering. For those of you who routinely visit us in office, it is likely you have experienced this before. Using the big silver pill looking tools, they are used to roll and maneuver on various muscles. When we use the rollers, we are working on not just stretching the muscle or even just increasing the blood flow, but also removing or alleviating soft tissue cumulative trauma disorders caused from continued inappropriate movements.  When we cause injury to soft tissue it responds in a reasonably consistent manner; starting with inflammation and ending with differentiated muscle tissue that feels leathery and lacks strength of normal muscle tissue.  This tight and weak tissue causes us to use more force than necessary, which leads to more injury.

Body tempering is also a way to get into your own head, as it’s also a form of neurological treatment to the muscle tissue.  

It is a strategy of moving and loading the tissue, not just stretching or mashing it. This technique actually helps with reciprocal inhibition (opposite muscles working together) of the muscle tissue by not only stretching the tight and weak side, but also helping to turn on the inhibited side of the body. With this our goal isn’t only mobility but stability and to be able to actually use the muscle though its entire range of motion. This type of strategy will give you a window into permanent change of that muscle or movement pattern. 

Here at Active Wellness we prefer to use the instruments referred to as the “boomstick” and the “pain-pill” which are heavy bars used to apply pressure to the tissue as we move through these restricted ranges of motion and painful areas. You can use other things, but the motion and muscle of focus is important. There are even ways you can do so yourself at home!

If you need help getting to know your body better and what strategy is best for you let us know we are here to help!