What is a Foam Roller? and What are the Benefits of Using One?

Foam rollers are useful for different therapeutic exercises, physical therapy, training and conditioning, core strength and stability, postural alignment and balance exercises. Foam rolling is an effective tool at your disposal for physique-building, recovery and injury prevention. Rollers are gaining popularity among elite athletes due to the immediate impact it has on their performance and overall health. Foam Rollers are inexpensive and portable making them ideal for use. Foam rolling can be used both before and after workouts to increase flexibility, ease soreness and improve blood circulation throughout the skin, muscles and even tendons and ligaments.

Foam rolling for self-myofascial release:

Massages have been shown to release and relax muscles. Foam rolling is a version of self-massage. Physical therapists apply gradual, low force across layers of soft-tissue in the body. A foam roller can be used in place of therapist’s hands. While the foam roller will never completely replace therapists, it serves as a great alternative.

Benefits of foam rolling:

Regular exercise can cause swelling in muscle fibers. Over time, this can develop into adhesions and scar tissue. Foam rolling helps smooth out and break down these adhesions, and increasing blood to the area.
Efficient exchange of nutrients and waste products throughout the body, leading to increased cellular function.
Lengthening of short (tight) muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Examples of these muscle include hip flexors and ligament that are prone to shortening. By applying deep pressure massage, it can lengthen tissues and prevent physical imbalances.

How to use a foam roller:

The first thing to do to start seeing results is to foam roll your calves and hamstrings. From the shoes we wear to the way we sit in a chair, our calves are in a shortened position most of the time. This limits the range of motion of the ankle and reduces function up the rest of the body. Foam rolling is as simply as placing the roller below the area you would like to release and roll slowly back and forth over the area. Repeat for a set of 10.