What is it?
If you have ever been to a gym or fitness studio of sorts you have probably seen someone rolling around on a large piece of foam making grumbling noises. Foam rollers are typically cylindrical in shape but can also come in spikey and rolling pin style variants as well as in a whole range of different sizes, firmness and colours.
Why do we do it?
Foam rolling is a form of self-massage that aims to address muscle hypertonicity, tension, and trigger points. The main focus is on applying pressure to parts of your body to assist in returning musculature to a less hypertonic state and subsequently, promote normal muscle function. If you think it is just for athletes and gym goers then you are sorely mistaken: it is also great for people who sit at a desk all day, as well as those who have terrible posture, poor circulation, joint issues, or stress.
Benefits of foam rolling:
- Alleviates soreness.
- Reduces inflammation that occurs during the muscle repair process.
- Aids in muscle repair recovery
- Helps injury prevention by maintaining muscle length and remedying tension and tightness.
- Effective for reducing delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS), which is the soreness you can get after a tough workout.
- Increases blood flow and elasticity of muscle tissue, joints, and fascia. This helps with our body’s mobility and overall well-being.
- Promotes relaxation (roll away your worries!)
How is it different from Stretching?
Stretching is an activity that aims to increase the length of muscles and tendons which shorten in a response to exercise, poor postures, lack of use and ageing. Similarly, if a muscle is not used correctly to its full length, over a period of time it will shorten to adapt to its lack of use. This is where the age old saying of ‘use it or lose it’ holds true.
Foam Rolling, as mentioned, is a tool for self myofascial release and is a technique used for promoting soft tissue healing, increasing flexibility, reducing soreness, and targeting muscle knots. Its done by lying or pressing your body against a foam roller it creates pressure on that area which helps to perform the self-myofascial release
So, which one should you do?
The answer is BOTH! But always Foam Roll before stretching!
The best way to explain why is using the following rubber band analogy:
Imagine if you had a rubber band that had a knot tied in the middle. Would it be easier to lengthen the rubber band with or without the tied knot? That’s right, the rubber with no knot would be easier to stretch and lengthen! This example translates perfectly to your musculoskeletal system too.
By using a foam roller to reduce muscular hypertonicity and address trigger points, give the muscles the ability to correctly lengthen which is then improved upon by following it up with stretches. By employing this two-tiered approach to your muscle health, you will see improved flexibility and mobility in addition to less pain and a decreased risk of injury.
To Foam Roll or Not to Foam Roll: The do’s and don’ts!
Do’s:
- When starting out use a low- to medium-density foam roller that has a smooth surface
- Work the foam roller slowly and incrementally over your muscles until you find a sore spot, band or trigger point. Hold this position with a slight increase in pressure until you feel the discomfort reduce and the muscle relax.
- Start with light pressure and build up as you get used to foam rolling. You may find it painful to foam roll at first if your muscles are tight.
- To adjust pressure, reduce the amount of body weight you’re putting onto the roller. For example, if you’re rolling out your calf, use your arms to help support your body and take some of your body weight off of the roller.
- Slowly roll tender areas for 10 seconds to start, then work up to 30 to 60 seconds at a time
- When foam rolling, try and stop over the point that feels tight or tender. Inhale and then as you exhale, slowly roll your way down the area that you are focussing on. Always treat your body in sections rather than continuously rolling back and forth.
- Drink plenty of water after foam rolling to help with recovery
- Foam rolling can be done at any time of the day! But if you’re doing it around a workout it is recommended to do it either before you train as a warmup, or after to prevent soreness.
Don’ts
- Foam rollers are designed to influence muscles only. Do not roll over bones or joints; it will have no effect on these structures- aside from being incredibly uncomfortable.
- Held positions should not exceed longer than 60 seconds.
- If at any point you experience severe or sharp pain, stop immediately! Foam rollers are designed to cause slight discomfort as they break up muscular adhesions and reduce hypertonicity (tightness) within the muscles.
- Foam rollers are not designed to help with spinal pain. While they may be useful to help tight muscles on either side of the spine, use on the spine could irritate and worsen your spinal health.
- If you are experiencing any soft tissue discomfort that is not responding to your foam rolling, please make an appointment with one of our Myotherapists to further assess your injury or pain.
- Still unsure if you’re doing it right? Go to our Instagram feed here and we will show you how it's done.
Monique Mack
Personal Trainer, Hawthorn