Foam Roller... what is it good for?

Foam rolling has become popular in the last ten years.   Most gyms and trainers promote its use, while some athletes swear by it.  The proposed mechanism of foam rolling is to break down soft tissue adhesions, and to relax muscles, but do they actually accomplish that?

There are no clinical studies with solid evidence that support either mechanism, but I will do my best to summarize the proposed theories so you can understand what you are trying to accomplish while foam rolling.  I will also touch on other uses for your foam roller such as rolling pizza dough (kidding). 

You may have heard the term myofascial release thrown around in conversations regarding foam rolling.  Myofascial is a fancy word that simply refers to 2 structures, “myo” means muscle and “fascial” means fascia.   What is fascia you ask?  Well fascia is this cool tissue that was once thought to be inert, but we now know it has many more properties.   In terms of anatomy it can be found throughout the entire body but in context of this topic you need to understand that it wraps around all muscles like a sock and provides an interface between adjacent muscles.  Myofascial scar-tissue/adhesions/knots/trigger points are commonly used terms which can develop after injury, become painful, and may limit the normal range of motion of a body part.  Foam rolling may lessen the severity of these lesions by creating relative passive motion between muscles.

The second reason that foam rolling is commonly used for is muscle stretching, and in theory it makes some sense.  There are small receptors in the tendons of muscles, which are called Golgi Tendon Organs or GTOs for short.  These little guys send signals to the brain when there is too much tension in the muscle.  The brain quickly responds and causes the muscle to relax.  When applying pressure to a muscle with a foam roller it may tension the tendons enough to cause the GTOs to fire and help relax the muscle.  This is one of the mechanisms of how stretching is supposed to work. 

Although there is no evidence to support the claims by manufacturers, in theory foam rolling has some merit.  However, there are a few other ways in which you can utilize your foam roller, and the first two are for pre and post-workout.

Pre-workout foam rolling is great to increase blood flow to the muscles that are going to be used during your workout.  It will increase the tissue temperature which causes oxygen to be off-loaded easier to your working muscles.  It will also cause the soft tissue to be more tensile, which may prevent injuries, or limit the nagging pains. 

Foam rolling is great for post-workouts as well.  I am not a fan of vigorous rolling post workout as it may damage more tissue and slow the recovery process.  What I like to do post-workout is roll to flush out any accumulated by products (inflammation), this is called lymphatic rolling.  Using light pressure, start furthest from your body and work towards your heart, and avoid going in the opposite direction.

Finally foam rolling can improve your health by helping to improve your posture and counter the strain that our bodies endure over the course of a day.  Every day we face a constant struggle against gravity, as it literally tries to pull us down.  However, gravity isn’t always a bad thing.  We can use its pull to help combat the daily stresses with postural exercises on the foam roller.  If you place the roller lengthwise along your spine, allow your arms to hang by your side and your chest open up.  I like holding this for up to three minutes while keeping my breathing at a relaxed, steady pace.  The second way is to place the roller perpendicular to your spine, at the level of the bottom of the shoulder blades.  Move the foam roller position slightly up or down as you inhale, exhale and extend backwards over the roller. 

There is no exact science to foam rolling.  I suggest you do traditional rolling for no longer than a minute and listen to your body.  If you feel like your muscles have relaxed then stop and move on to the next muscle group.   Remember there will be mild discomfort with any of the exercises, but if at any time you feel pain during the exercise, STOP.

Until next time, stay healthy my friends.

Dr. Adam