Myofascial Release For The Knee

The knees are deeply influenced by the mobility and stability of the feet, calves, hamstrings, quadriceps, and hips. In this practice, we'll use myofascial tools and self-myofascial release techniques to explore areas of tension that may contribute to stiffness, discomfort, and restricted movement. Together, we'll learn practical techniques to help release tension in the muscles and connective tissue surrounding the knee, improve mobility and body awareness, support recovery from exercise and daily activities, promote nervous system regulation and relaxation, and create greater ease and stability throughout the lower body. Suggested Props: 2 therapy balls or tennis balls, a foam roller, a blanket or beach towel, and blocks.

Transcript

So welcome. I'm Rebecca. This is Nova, She'll be hanging out, And there's Luna. Gather your props, A foam roller. Blocks. I have a variety of balls, Different sizes that you could find, But if you don't have any of these types of balls, You can use tennis balls and that's awesome. You just want to have two balls that are about the same size. And a blanket or a towel. I also have a chair. So there's a lot of and a strap. So there's a lot of props needed, But of course, Like I said, You don't need all the props. I'm going to gather my notes. All right, So let's arrive. Maybe let's just straighten the legs out. And you can even run your hands. Up and down your legs, Just kind of bringing some energy and awareness to your legs. Maybe running your hands on the outer part of the leg. And the inner part of the leg. See if Nova will come over here. I just kind of notice bringing energy, Pausing at the knee itself. And you can just kind of rub your knee, Like above your knee. On the side of your knee. The outside of the knee. Beautiful. Maybe you've already brought some warmth in. Grab one of your balls. So I have a ball. And I'm just going to take it and my knees slightly bent and you can always bring your blanket roll underneath your knee or your block to bring some support if this doesn't feel good or you could sit in a chair. And I'm just going to take my ball and I'm circling around the knee just bringing this kind of shearing movement around the knee. You're being really kind. So I'm just bringing my ball and I'm making these little circles around the knee. Getting some. Moving the tissue away from. The little superficial layer underneath the knee. Just noticing how it feels, You can straighten the leg out a little bit more. So doing that a little bit. I call it like friction. We're just mobilizing that skin layer from the superficial layer. Doing one side. And then doing the other side so I have this nice little prop for my knee. You could also, Like I said, Sit in the chair. I'm just kind of turning the ball a little bit like I'm kind of turning the faucet on, Just kind of doing this little. Friction movement. And you just don't want to hurt your knee like by doing it really hard. And if anything feels like sharp along the way, Then you just move the ball to a different area. All right, Beautiful. Okay, And bring that aside. And you could either have put your balls in the sock to make that little pouch or you'll have your foam roller and we'll get into the shin. The shin and the tibula interior, Tibulus interior. Kind of where you would have your, You know, Like work if you had shin splints. So with the ball in the roll, I hope this is making sense, But with the ball in the, Like the sock, It would have a little space in between the two balls and you could roll out the front of your bottom leg like that because the shin, There's a shin bone. And so that kind of gets in that space between the balls. You could do that or you could use your foam roller. And if you were going to use the foam roller. We kind of lay back like this and kind of roll on the foam roller. What I am doing is using a block. Through the runway. And I'm bringing the balls on here. And it's kind of like I'm going to just get up like this and move my leg, My foot back and forth. And I'm just moving. Just taking like maybe from the right below the knee to maybe a third of the way down, Getting on the leg. So that lower leg and so my. Balls are outside the shin bone. So you just don't want to hurt your shin bone. And you can point your toes and point them away and point them towards you. For me, This is a very tender space. And you can use your exhale to let go, Of course, Throughout the whole practice. But sometimes. Tender space like this, You might not even want to bring any movement. You might just want to pause and hold it. And using your breath to just. Bring in. Almost like you're breathing into that area. You could press the shin down into the ball. And then exhale, Release as the ball kind of melts into that connective tissue around the shin. Beautiful. We're just going up. So I'm just bringing the knee towards my wrist a little bit more so I'm moving the balls down and find another spot and you can circle. And you can bring your thigh down and add a little more weight. For me, This is a lot, But you can decide how much you need. And the more you come to it, The more. Your body will be like, Oh, Okay, I understand what they're doing. We're just going a little bit further down. And if you have any questions along the way, Let me know. Bringing my weight down a little bit. And then you can just roll back and forth if that feels okay. And if you have your foam roller, It's a little broader and a little more forgiving, So you could try that out too. So I'm just kind of going back towards the knee and rolling. And when you're ready, Just pausing, Coming off of that and then stretch the legs out long and just feel the difference between the two sides. I used to get shin splints a lot when I would run a lot or when I played soccer. And now I'm just taking my hand and kind of rubbing that area, Just bringing some just like a little gentle compassion, Because for me it's a little painful. And another thing that you could do if it doesn't feel good to roll. Is to take your fingers and you can massage. So it's almost like you're taking. You have to shin bone and it's like you're pushing the muscle away. From the bone. So I'm on the outer part of the foot leg and I'm just pushing the muscle away from the bone and you can even point your toes up and point them down as you do that and that's a little more forgiving. And there's this acupressure point. About three fingers down from the knee. And over so it's off the shin down from the knee you'll find like a tender spot you could bring your finger into and maybe move your foot around and you can feel that that's stomach 36. And then you could come in and press the muscle away from the shin bone going towards, So it's the inner part of the leg. And I like to just point my foot as I do that. I find this really calming and I do it sometimes if I'm like sitting waiting for something. Or if you're watching television, You know you could do it in your chair. And then maybe take some tapping on that area that you just rolled and maybe you massage with your fingers. And now we'll do the other side. And you could stay longer in one side. So again, I've got my. Block. Well, First I'll show the foam roller again. So I'm coming onto the. . . Underneath the knee. I'm coming with the foam roller on the bottom of the leg. And you can just roll back and forth like that. And that feels good. It's kind of fun, You know. So you could do that and you could even find a spot and pause here, Pressing your weight on there and maybe move a little side to side. So you're getting into that. Inner part of the shin and the outer part of the shin. So that's a great alternative. So I just turn so you can see me, But I've got my block and I've got the ball and the ball is going right below the knee. To start with and we're moving down the shin. Like with the shin, And so this space is where the shin would be, So it's not on the ball. And you can play around and you might find something that works better for you than what I found. So I've got my little runway and I've got my ball. My balls. They're both outside of the shin, On each side of the shin, And then my foot's moving back and forth. I realize I really have never taught this or focused on the knee before in class, But it's so important. And I'm a massage therapist and I have a client who has a knee replacement and she's going on this like 100 mile hike. So we've been working a lot on that. The surrounding tissues around the knee, Getting into the quads. With knee replacement, The quads get, Sometimes the quads aren't as strong, And so you have to strengthen the quads. So we're just going to move down a little bit more. So I move my block down a little bit and then I'm just to so I still have that runway. And I'm moving my knee up and finding another area. And you can stay still. You could even rock a little side to side. And it should kind of, It might be a dull ache or it might. Kind of like it hurts so good, But if it's a sharp pain, Then you could come off of it, The ball, Or move to a different area. And then we're just rolling down a little bit more. You can bring your weight down onto the mat. The calf if you want, And move back and forth. Or you can come off of it. So you can decide how much weight you want. Sometimes you could even take your. . . Other leg and drape on top, But for me it's so intense I couldn't even imagine doing that. And then we'll go towards the ankle. You might have to adjust your balls on the block. Beautiful, And then we'll roll back up towards the knee. Being really kind to yourself. And bringing gratitude to this area of the body. That maybe you don't think about as much. Pausing if there's a spot you find. That needs attention. This is great if you're a runner. If you play pickleball, If you. . . Ride a bike. Walking a lot or you've got knee issues. Knee replacement. Okay, And when you're ready, Coming off. Just be real kind to yourself. You can stretch the legs out long. And you could also come to that where you're going to press the skin away from the from the bone, So I'm just moving from the knee down. Pushing the. . . The outer part of the muscle away from the shin bone and now I'm just moving my foot back. Beautiful. And then maybe taking your thumbs and moving the muscle away from the inner part of the shin. And we're also getting where the shin, The calf, And the front of the muscle meet. Aren't beautiful. All right, And yeah, Just notice how that feels and you can take your fist and kind of give a little tapping, Tapping on the outer part of the shin, The inner part of the shin. It feels good to tap. Okay, The next place we're going is the adductor, So that inner part of the thigh. So you can think about where the knee and the inner thigh meet, Getting there and moving down a little bit. You can use your fingers, So you always can use your fingers along the way. Instead of the balls. And you can use a foam roller or You can take the ball out of your little sock or your pouch and you have it here. Even rolling like this, That turning. Feels good there. So there's so many different things you could do. If you had shorts on and you had a stickier ball, This would feel good to do this pin and spin. You can use up a lot of time to doing this, So you have to kind of keep track of your time. But I'm sidelining. And I've got my block. And I've got my ball and I'm placing it right above the knee. And I'm using my forearm maybe to settle myself down. You could also use a pillow. And from here you can do a little rolling. So you're getting into the inner thigh and the adductors. So the quads take up a lot of space and then the inner thigh. Yeah, Ductors don't take up as much space, But they're deep in the body. So you can stay still or you can point the toes away and point, Bring the heel back. I'm using my exhale to let go. Tension, Thoughts. Worry. Beautiful. And then I'm just going to move up. So maybe to the center area. The thigh and you can adjust your block. It could stay in the lowest setting or you could bring it on the middle setting and you can decide. It's just bringing the is bringing. The floor a little bit closer. I'm going to move her over, Get her blanket. So you're just going up to the kind of halfway up. And I've got my block in the second setting, And then you just can move. Your foot away from your body and then towards your chest. Ear glute area. Or you can move a little side to side. Like so. And you can adjust your block, It's your runway, And you can just move a little back and forth. So I'm getting into the inner thigh. And that whole inner thigh is up for grabs. And you can move a little bit closer in between the knee and where we were just at. You could. . . Any movements that feel good. This might be tender, So just be kind to yourself. And I'll show it with the foam roller. I'm just draping over the foam roller and I'm rolling back and forth. Like this. And this is a little more forgiving and you can always open your you know and move your leg back and forth. I like the balls because it's a little more pinpointed. And we'll go to one more area So you were halfway up maybe like going towards the groin area but you're not quite there yet and you can find a spot there. Everything's connected and we could really work the inner thigh. We're just, I'm just showing you a couple places, But feel free to spend more time here if it feels good. And it could be tender. You could also use two balls at once. So it might not be as intense. Yeah, That feels a little less intense, Two balls at one time. Alright, Beautiful. And then just sit up and notice that inner thigh. You might even take your hand and rub it. We'll do the other side. So deciding if you want to use your foam roller or your ball. Making yourself as comfortable as you can. And you can move a little side to side, Like doing a little shearing, Or you can move your leg, Move your lower leg back and forth, Bending your knee. That exhales the release valve. Letting go of tension. Stagnation. Even expectations. And then when you're ready, Moving to the next area. So maybe halfway up or even a little less. So you can decide where you want to go. You can move a little side to side. This side might feel totally different. Just notice how it feels. And move to the next section towards the groin area. You can stay still or maybe move a little side to side. You can, Again, Bend and straighten your leg. And if this doesn't feel good, You could just use your fingers and sitting kind of like in a. One leg bent, One leg straight or both legs straight and get into the inner thigh with your fingers or the foam roller. Beautiful and feel free to, You know, Stay longer, Maybe come back to this after the class if there was a place that really felt like you needed to work. And again, Slowly roll off. And maybe just lie down this time and just notice the inner thighs and the shins and the knees. There might be that warmth or tingling in the inner thigh. Beautiful. So now. . . We're going to get into the inner. We're going to get into the IT band on the outer part of the hip. So the IT band is kind of moving from the knee up towards the glute. And again, You can do this friction there. The foam roller is great here. So that's probably what I'm going to show. And then the ball is good too. If you have a bigger set of balls, You know, That could work also. And you could put them back in your pouch. Let's see, The foam roller, What I would do. Is kind of lie side-lying on the foam roller. So you're going to roll a little side to side or you can even kind of kind of move your legs back and forth. So really it's getting the bottom leg. And you can move the foam roller towards the knee and the outer part of the hip. And then you can roll it like halfway just kind of. Or you could get really kind of where you're rolling. Your body is doing work. For me, This is intense. But you can move on the foam roller using your forearm and helping yourself move. I know you can try the bowl and the pouch. And lie down and you'll just kind of move It's harder to roll you're just going to be moving the ball up. The leg up the IT band. I've got two balls so it's not quite as intense. And you can just move a little side to side. Oh good Mimi, I'm so glad you felt some release. That's awesome. Sometimes it's just like an emotional release. You're just. You're just taking your time to really focus on this area and using your breath and it's just like kind of letting the outside world fade away. And we're just moving up a little bit more. And just being really kind to yourself. You could even kind of have fun with your legs, Just moving them back and forth. And exhale, Release valve. Beautiful. And just pause and notice, You might feel warmth. And then we're going to do the other side, But like I said, You can always stay longer. I realize. There's so many things I want to share. So this is just the two balls in the little pouch, And I have them right above the knee. And I'm just moving my legs side to side, But you could also just stay still and even a little tiny back and forth movements feel good. And yeah, You can roll on it. Actually feels really good. It's kind of like a long, Slow roll, And it gets a little deeper. And then move to the next area when you're ready. And sometimes I worry it's going to hurt, And so I'm afraid to do it, And when I do it, It doesn't feel that bad, But I'm kind of worried that it would, So I've got myself. . . Already thinking that. And So you could always try it even if you're a little worried about it, As long as it doesn't hurt and you could just see if it felt okay. If that makes sense. For me, Sometimes it's a mind thing. And the foam roller's the same way. You just kind of bring your, Like that top leg is just bringing more weight on the bottom leg where the foam roller is and you can move back and forth with your legs. Almost like you've got like your sea grass in your legs and you're moving. Or you could bring up, Be on your hands and kind of roll a little more back and forth. For me, This is a tender area. And sometimes you could even laugh at yourself, You know, If you're rolling around, Which is fun. But if you look in the mirror, You might be like, Oh, Wow, OK. And just have a little fun. So moving up and when you feel like you've gotten enough. Just pausing and. . . I just like this rubbing. It just feels good, Like it's smoothing everything out and getting rid of any little tension that I might have picked up after I rolled. Okay. The next place we're going to go is. . . Above the knee and the quad. So we're getting into the rectus femoris. And um. . . So we're going to kind of right above the knee. And you'll lie down on the. . . From that. Novi is very, He wants to be the show, The center of the show today. She's the cutest one. So you can lie down and then you'll have the ball underneath. It's right above your knee. And then your bend and straighten your leg. Like that. You could also have the balls in the sock. It's a little broader and point, Bend, And straighten the leg like that. The quads take up a lot of real estate in the leg. If you think about it, They're going from like that inner part of the thigh all the way to the IT band. It's a lot of real estate. I like the double balls better than the single ball, But you can try both and see what feels good. And then you just roll the balls. Up or if you have the single ball. So you're moving your knee down and the balls are moving up towards the groin area but you're just going up a little bit and you can point down. Bend and straighten the leg. Go to the next area and I'll show the foam roller too. Tennis balls will work just fine in the sock. I'm using special Myofascial Release balls, But tennis balls work great. And if you like this, Then you can order these. Or order something like that. And I'll share those at the end. I've got this foam roller. And the foam roller, You can do both sides at the same time. In a role. And it was fun. And this feels, This is not quite as intense as the IT band. So you're getting into the quads. With the foam roller. And so you could, If you didn't have as much time, You know, Maybe the foam roller is a little faster. Yeah, So moving up a little bit more. Pausing if you find there's a space that you want to hang out in. Toes can come underneath the heel. Lift the torso and you can roll a little bit easier. And if you had two sets. Of balls in the sock, You could do both sides at the same time. So tennis balls are perfect. That's like a great, Easy tool that you might have around. Beautiful. And then just press yourself up and come into hero's pose and just feel the two sides and maybe rub your hands. And we'll do the other quad. So again, You could do the foam roller. You could use one single therapy ball or tennis ball or you could use two. To just make it broader. I'm starting above the knee. My forearms are down on the mat. And you can bend and. . . The heel, So the heel is coming towards the glute and straighten. And you could just move doing that, Going up the leg, Doing that, And pausing if there's an area that you feel like you want to hang out in. Or you can. . . Kind of roll a little bit up and down and just kind of pick one section to do. And then you'll move to the next section. And so I like to pause sometimes and just, You could just pause and stay still. Or that bending. Straightening. Beautiful. And you could just kind of even make one more pass just going up and down, Just a kind of a faster pass. Especially with the foam roller. And then slowly walking your hands back, Remove the ball. Or the foam roller and kind of feel. And you might even feel like your shoulders dropping away from the ears a little bit more. The whole body is connected. It might feel a little brighter outside when you look or out in your space when you open your eyes. The next space we're going is the hamstrings. There's a lot of different things that we could do for the hamstrings. Of course, The foam roller. You can. Just bring them above. Any. . . Hands are behind you and you're just going to roll. And you can point your toes out or in, And that helps move. Your leg a little bit. So this is a really nice thing to do. I'm liking the foam roller more and more. So you could do that. Take your block. And you have maybe your pouch of the balls or a single ball. And you can roll like this. So I've got the balls. And my little sock. My pretend sock and I've got the block and I'm rolling. And you could also use a single ball, Which is a lot more pointier, Like it's more like my thumb. You could try it without the block too on the mat and see how that feels. It's just, I think it's a little easier with the block. And another thing that you can do is take the top leg and bring it over the bottom leg. For the hamstring and kind of maybe point and move the legs. You just want to make sure you don't get right underneath the knee, Like where the knee bends, That area. You want to avoid really pushing hard there. I like to use my arms to lift me and I'm kind of rolling. So I'm using the block as a platform for my hamstring. And you've got the foam roller. And I'll show you one other thing to do. So just keep rolling if you're using the foam roller or the balls. Another thing that you can do, And I've shared it in class before, Is you can take your blanket fold and roll it you know, Maybe like in a little burrito shape. And you can take that behind your knees. I'm kind of coming in a tabletop to get there, And then lowering down, And that's just bringing compression to the hamstrings and also the calves. And I love this. And I also sometimes lift up and lower down. And I'm bringing compression into the hamstrings and I'm taking it off and also into the calves and then you just move the blanket rolled down. And I think the second time maybe I would stay still. And maybe I move my hips a little side to side, Or just kind of tiny movements side to side. But sometimes that makes my foot cramp up, So just be careful with that. And you could also have your toes underneath your heels and do that. So whatever you've decided, Just moving up towards the glutes. The nice thing about the blanket roll and the foam roller is you get one side done, You get both sides done at the same time. I'm just scrolling. And then we'll do the other side. And I'm going to try to post this video. And so if this is helpful for you, You could come back to it. And you can always message me any questions. And I can try to make a little video for you or have a special class for you. Because I love doing these kinds of things. So if there's some place on your body that you're having trouble with, Like a tennis elbow or something like that, You could just let me know, And I could try to make a class. I don't know everything. I'm still learning. And so, So much, I don't know. But I'm just like to share the few things I do know, Or I've kind of gathered along the way, Especially my teachers. Tiffany Cruikshank and Caroline Weibar have shared so much information. With me. And Jill Miller is another great teacher for my fascia release especially. And then just moving the balls up if you're doing that. And if you're doing the foam roller, You can just explore some more. Or if you're doing the blanket roll, You can see how that feels. Beautiful. And I think the next place we'll do and maybe finish at are the calves. But you could also roll out the feet. And I could show you that really quickly. So the calves. You could do that blanket roll that I showed you. And so that's also affecting the calves, Or you're getting into the calves. You could do the foam roller. You know, You have kind of using your hands and rolling, Which is fun, Right? And you can take the top leg on top of the bottom leg and use that. And maybe point the toes away and from your adding a little movement to your feet can kind of change how you get into the the tissues. So that feels good and fun. And you could take, This is something I really like to do, Is taking the The ball. And I'm between that ankle and the knee, Right at the center of the calf. You can lie down in Shavasana. If you wanted to, Just more relaxing. And you can let. Gravity just have its way with you. And as you stay. The calf muscle and tissue were melt over the ball. You could bring your top leg on top of the, This loose leg on top of the leg with the ball. Using your exhale to let go. For me, Foam rolling. Or my fascia release is so calming. It just helps me really relax and it helps me sleep. So this is a great place to work if you are having trouble sleeping at night. If you are going to be moving into meditation or you. Are is good for after sports. It's good for recovery after weight lifting. Beautiful. You can move the your body. And so the ball's moving towards the ankle. You can point and kind of move your foot around, Getting into the calf. And sometimes just pausing. It's your body just relaxes over the ball. I kind of think about it like you're making friends with a wild horse and you've got this like you're putting your hand out with like some food and it's slowly making its way to you and it's letting its guard down a little bit and maybe you can pet it afterwards. That's sort of like what I think about with muscles. They're protecting themselves, You know, Our body protects itself. And as we do these practices, We get a little more trust. Maybe it's just in ourselves that it's okay to explore these areas that are tender because we're doing it with a place of compassion and care. And that everything doesn't have to be so hard or painful. Could be really kind. To me, This practice is just very caring and nourishing. And a little bit goes a long way so you don't have to be really harsh and like If it doesn't feel good, Then just try something different. All right, Beautiful. And then just take the block and the ball away and notice that side of the body. Then we'll do the second side. And maybe you're lying back and everything is calm and you just have to sit up a little bit to move the block and the ball to the other side. Or you're foam rolling and you're having fun. Just whatever you're doing, It's perfect. Or you're doing the blanket roll. And each side could be so different. For me, This side is a lot different. Even closing your eyes. And bringing gratitude to this area of the body. Can move. Your body up and just move towards the ankle with the ball. And you can always take the top leg on top. You're doing great. And the calf is considered the second heart. It helps pump the lymph and the fluid back towards the heart. Towards this main heart, But the lymphatic system doesn't have a true pump, So the muscles help pump it, Especially the calf muscles for the feet and the legs. Maybe one other area can roll too if you've got the ball. Beautiful! Okay, Take your time. If you're lying down, You could just move the legs. Up and over and just rest in Shavasana shape for a moment, Just feeling into the body. You could also just come off your foam roller or the blanket roll and just lie down for a moment and just feel. The two sides of the body for a moment. Maybe reach the arms past the ears, Get really big. And reach the toes away from the fingers. And then hug your knees into your chest. Yeah, Maybe rub your knees a little bit. If it doesn't feel good to hug your knees into your chest, You know, Just. . . Just bring gratitude any way that feels good. To our knees. To our legs. To our bodies that work so hard for us every day. Roll to your favorite side. And we'll meet in seated. Watching out for props and those things. Beautiful. And then rubbing your hands together. Placing your hands at your heart space. Bowing to the inner teacher within each of us. The light of awareness that connects each one of us and makes us one. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti. Peace, Peace, Peace.