Jill Miller

So what a hard tool will do is it will initiate a sympathetic nervous system response. This is called the muscle bracing response. Because your body doesn't want to be deformed by something that might cause pain, that might cause injury. This is a natural autonomic protective response. And this is called the muscle bracing response. So there was... It's just crazy to me.

So what a hard tool will do is it will initiate a sympathetic nervous system response. This is called the muscle bracing response. Because your body doesn't want to be deformed by something that might cause pain, that might cause injury. This is a natural autonomic protective response. And this is called the muscle bracing response. So there was... It's just crazy to me.

But in the over 200 and something published papers on self myofascial release, there was one paper that disclosed the hardness of the actual implements used in the rolling. Okay. Just for perspective, you know, foam rollers are, they're dense foam. They are, they're very hard. Even though an individual foam cell, you can compress it, when all those foams are together, that's hard like wood.

But in the over 200 and something published papers on self myofascial release, there was one paper that disclosed the hardness of the actual implements used in the rolling. Okay. Just for perspective, you know, foam rollers are, they're dense foam. They are, they're very hard. Even though an individual foam cell, you can compress it, when all those foams are together, that's hard like wood.

It's really hard. A lacrosse ball is the same hardness as a bowling ball. Did you know that? Did not. There is no difference in the material substrate of a bowling ball or a lacrosse ball. It is the same thing. The lacrosse ball is interesting, though, because it's covered with this grippy rubber, which I love. I love the rubber of a lacrosse ball. But a lacrosse ball has no yield.

It's really hard. A lacrosse ball is the same hardness as a bowling ball. Did you know that? Did not. There is no difference in the material substrate of a bowling ball or a lacrosse ball. It is the same thing. The lacrosse ball is interesting, though, because it's covered with this grippy rubber, which I love. I love the rubber of a lacrosse ball. But a lacrosse ball has no yield.

Neither does a bowling ball. Neither does a foam roller or a hard foam roller. These will just keep pushing their weight into you and you either suffer through it or you brace against it. It causes so much discomfort. You're like, I'm just fighting against my own tension. I'm not getting anywhere here. So this one Korean paper says, It was very special for two reasons.

Neither does a bowling ball. Neither does a foam roller or a hard foam roller. These will just keep pushing their weight into you and you either suffer through it or you brace against it. It causes so much discomfort. You're like, I'm just fighting against my own tension. I'm not getting anywhere here. So this one Korean paper says, It was very special for two reasons.

It disclosed what's called durometer. That's the way we measure hardness in objects, right? So, you know, wood is harder than foam. Gum is much softer than a tennis ball, right? So we have this scale of hardnesses that's measured in what's called the shore scale, and you use a durometer to test for indentation hardness.

It disclosed what's called durometer. That's the way we measure hardness in objects, right? So, you know, wood is harder than foam. Gum is much softer than a tennis ball, right? So we have this scale of hardnesses that's measured in what's called the shore scale, and you use a durometer to test for indentation hardness.

So this cohort used people with chronic neck pain, and they used a cohort of over 60-year-olds in Korea. So it's very unusual to have a cohort of aged people. Most research in self-myofascial release is on young people in college on foam rollers. Most of them are rolling their cabs, spoiler alert, or their hamstrings, Andy, or their quads. But to find old people with neck pain?

So this cohort used people with chronic neck pain, and they used a cohort of over 60-year-olds in Korea. So it's very unusual to have a cohort of aged people. Most research in self-myofascial release is on young people in college on foam rollers. Most of them are rolling their cabs, spoiler alert, or their hamstrings, Andy, or their quads. But to find old people with neck pain?

And then to either put them on a lacrosse ball or a soft inflated ball. So what do you think happened to the cohort?

And then to either put them on a lacrosse ball or a soft inflated ball. So what do you think happened to the cohort?

The hardball folks, what they found was there was a thickening effect when they were measuring EMG. The muscles were just in tension. The trapezius muscles braced against the ball. So the ball couldn't even get to depth because the body was protecting itself. Those that used the softball had an increase of... Neck range of motion and a decrease of pain because the ball could get in.

The hardball folks, what they found was there was a thickening effect when they were measuring EMG. The muscles were just in tension. The trapezius muscles braced against the ball. So the ball couldn't even get to depth because the body was protecting itself. Those that used the softball had an increase of... Neck range of motion and a decrease of pain because the ball could get in.

The ball was actually to do the therapeutic work because they weren't fighting against their own neurological tension. So in my book, soft is supreme in terms of working with your nervous system. rather than working against it and creating even more sympathetic stress, propagating even more pain. There is some other research by a guy named Leonid Blum and Mark Driscoll.

The ball was actually to do the therapeutic work because they weren't fighting against their own neurological tension. So in my book, soft is supreme in terms of working with your nervous system. rather than working against it and creating even more sympathetic stress, propagating even more pain. There is some other research by a guy named Leonid Blum and Mark Driscoll.

Leonid specializes in cerebral palsy, and he works with families to help the children with cerebral palsy to, you know, improve their posture and pain. And he uses only soft implements with these kids. And it really helps them to create a more spontaneous upright posture and have better movement patterns.

Leonid specializes in cerebral palsy, and he works with families to help the children with cerebral palsy to, you know, improve their posture and pain. And he uses only soft implements with these kids. And it really helps them to create a more spontaneous upright posture and have better movement patterns.