But there is a way to massage oneself, with the benefit of being able to control exactly where and how much pressure to apply. For that reason, in recent years, doing exercises with foam rollers, massage balls, and the like has gained immense popularity. Yet with new products and cheesy accompanying infomercials coming out all the time, knowing what to do and how to do it can be an intimidating task. At worst, doing exercises wrong can lead to pain and discomfort, and ultimately injury.

You may have heard varying terms for these exercises: trigger point release, active release techniques, or perhaps something similar. The technical term, however, is self-myofascial release (SMR). Other terms may mean different things for different people, so we'll stick with SMR for the purposes of this post.

Let's dissect this science-y term we've just learned before diving into the how-tos of the various exercises.

Fascia, as physical therapist Jane Anderberg described it to me, is much like that slimy layer on a chicken breast that you can peel off. Every structure in the body — organs, muscles, nerves, blood vessels, etc. — is covered in a layer of fascia. It's almost akin to oil in your car's engine — it allows everything to run smoothly and slide without friction. Through the overstress of our muscles, whether through overuse or trauma, our layers of fascia can get tears in them. When the tears don't heal properly, the various layers of fascia in your body can adhere together in spots (called adhesions), which will cause pain and discomfort. These adhesions keep your muscles from working the way they're supposed to, which keeps your body from living up to its potential for strong and natural movement.