Muscle Scraping: An Essential Part of Athletic Recovery

Professional Triathlete Ben Kanute during a recovery day.

Trigger point and myofascial release are an integral part of an athletes routine. When we push our bodies we can develop tight muscles, fascial restriction and micro-tears that can lead to tendinitis, injury, and pain.

Your at home Athletic Recovery toolbox probably contains: stretching and resistance bands, a lacrosse ball, a foam roller, etc… It should also contain a muscle scraping tool so you can perform hands-on scar tissue and myofascial release.

Without hands-on tissue release, muscles have a lot of trouble relaxing into the resting state that allows your body to recover and heal. Tight muscles restrict blood flow and retain lactic acid and other metabolic waste products that are toxic to your tissues. Scraping helps to flush out these toxins. Additionally shortened and tight muscles and trigger points can create a pull on the fascial system. This can predispose you to overuse injuries. For instance super tight calves can predispose you to achilles tendinitis and plantar fasciitis. Super tight quads, especially the VLO, can predispose you to patellar tracking issues and patellar tendinitis.

Scraping is one of the best ways to manage fascial restriction, scar tissue, adhesions, and trigger points. Used properly, muscle scraping tools can break apart unhealthy collagen fibers, bring blood flow to the area, and stimulate a small healing response. Studies show that scraping may increase blood flow, improve tissue mobility, interrupt pain receptors, and release myofascial restriction. Top athletes like Ben Kanute, Professional Triathlete, use these tools to help keep his tissues in top form for performance, and to help him recover faster.

Many athletes ask how often they should be using these types of tools. I recommend 3-4 times a week for 10 minutes a session for general maintenance and recovery. When battling chronic injuries, you will need longer and more intense treatment sessions, and therefore a frequency of 2 times a week as you need a few days of recovery between sessions. For more information check out our Videos