Foam rollers are very popular these days. Places like Target and Walmart do them. Grandpa and grandma are foaming. Doctors are prescribing them. What started out as a niche portable tool used only by the most obscure fitness enthusiasts has grown in popularity. But if you want to get the most out of your foam roller — and avoid causing any damage — you need to learn how to use it correctly. It’s not as simple as “rolling” on it. There is an art to it. And a science.
But before we get into how to use foam rollers, let’s take a look at what foam rollers actually do (and don’t do).
What does foam rolling do (and doesn’t) do?
Foam rolling is not physically breaking knots or muscle adhesions.
Rolling with foam also doesn’t stretch the paper towel like you’re rolling a sheet of dough. Research shows that foam rolling does not stretch or lengthen muscles.
Instead, foam rolling seems to help relax the nervous system. It works through neuromuscular connections rather than rough physical alterations. After the foam rolls over an area while moving that tissue, your nervous system has determined that this is an appropriate and safe range of motion for you. Foam rolling gives you a brief opportunity to establish a new “safe” pattern. Instead of physical adhesion, it removes neuromuscular blocks and harmful patterns. You reset the system and reprogram or leave it open to reprogram with better motion.
Foam rolling can also work through something called toxic spillover inhibitory control, or DNIC. When a tissue is in pain, it’s because your nervous system has decided that inhibiting movement in that area (through pain) is safer and better for you than allowing movement through the area. that area. But sometimes, the nervous system decides to relieve the pain because you move it safely and it is better to be immobile. Consider a soldier carrying a major wound in battle. He was badly injured, but the excruciating pain would only prevent him from reaching safety. The nervous system calms the pain so he can bring it back to life. The foam roller might be doing something similar.
How to use foam roller
Relax into the roller; do not be stressful.
This can be difficult to do because, by its very nature, foam rolling is very uncomfortable. Painful, even. But here’s what happens when you’re stressed: your body resists the healing effect the foam roller is supposed to have on you.
You should be able to breathe easily and normally. If you are holding your breath, that indicates a stress response. Perhaps you are working too hard or under too much stress.
Don’t grimace. Don’t grind your teeth. Try to smile, or at least maintain a neutral facial expression. Any outward manifestations of pain and discomfort will be recorded in your nervous system. What you’re trying to do here is reassure your body that you can handle the pain, that the pain isn’t so bad, and that the tissues can start to feel better.
Hold it in place until it stops hurting.
If you’re rushing in your foam rolling, skipping areas because they “hurt,” you’re missing the point. Instead of running away from the pain, you need to find and sit with the pain. When you find a sore spot, stay there for at least a minute or until the pain subsides.
Explore range of motion while sitting in a gentle position.
Once you curl up and find a soft, stretch point, stay in that position, then extend and bend your knee through its full motion. This seems to make foam rolling more effective than if you were to just stay in place without moving past your knees.
Focus on one large area per session.
You won’t effectively train your entire body in one workout. There is not enough time for that. Instead, focus on one large area — your legs, buttocks, calves, hamstrings, abs, thoracic spine — and do great there. Be thorough and take your time. You can focus on another section in the next session.
Does not foam the roll bone.
Bones should not foam. It doesn’t help. It is completely meaningless. Foam roller is for soft tissue application only.
No foam rolling your spine.
You can and should foam roll the lumbar muscles on either side of the spine, but you shouldn’t roll the actual spine itself. Being bone, it doesn’t react well to foam rolling, and it can actually irritate and injure you.
Do not roll the foam onto the painful site; The foam rolls the tissue around it.
If your knee hurts, foam rolling into the knee probably won’t help. If your calves are sore, foam rolling on your calves is not the answer.
You need to go above and below the affected tissue. Continue rolling the tissue around the painful area, working your way up and down until you find the sore spot.
Use a lacrosse ball (or two glued together) to reach hard-to-reach areas.
Foam rollers do not work well on every muscle or tissue. Ligaments, TFLs, pecs, and specific points in the thoracic spine seem to respond much better to lacrosse balls. They provide more direct, targeted pressure and can really drill into it.
Foam roll prior to Exercise to increase range of motion.
Pre-workout foaming is better for range of motion and performance, especially if you take advantage of the “window of motion” that is open and moving. Roll up the foam, do some mobility exercises to take advantage of the window, then start working out.
Foam roll after Workouts to reduce muscle soreness and improve performance.
Studies show that foam rolling after a workout helps reduce muscle soreness afterward and maintain performance (which would otherwise have been). I have found foam rolling to be very effective for athletes who need to get back to training quickly after a workout or competition.
But overall, if you keep all these concepts in mind, foam rolling is pretty easy to implement and very versatile. Happy rolling!
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