What Does a Foam Roller Do and How to Use It?

What to Expect From Foam Rolling?

Foam rolling is a type of myofascial release. As you work the roller across your body, the tension and knots that may have developed between your muscles and connective tissue will be released. This is crucial to your recovery after a hard workout and for easing stress and tension in between workouts.

The Benefits of Foam Rolling

Foam rolling can deliver a range of benefits that ultimately can enhance your quality of life on many levels. If you lead an active lifestyle, you can increase your range of motion and prevent injuries through pre-workout rolling. The roller effectively stretches and loosens your muscles to decrease the risk of strains and tears. It also improves muscle function for a better workout.

After a workout, foam rolling promotes recovery. Specifically, it prevents painful knots from developing. It also aids in diminishing the stress of a workout on your muscles. By doing so, it supports a great fat burn.

By using a foam roller regularly, you support muscular health. The muscles can more easily return to their optimal elasticity and length. Because the tissue is properly hydrated, it can move more freely. Plus, the muscles are stretched to promote flexibility. Otherwise, they may become excessively tense. This can lead to pain and injuries.

Many people spend long hours in the same position, such as sitting behind a desk. Often, this is an unnatural position that cramps the body. This results in muscle tightening, compression and inflexibility. Through foam rolling, the muscles can ease back into their normal position for optimized health.

Muscles may also get accustomed to being in an unnatural position because of poor core strength, slouching and other issues. This results in poor posture, which causes unnecessary pain and poor spinal alignment. Foam rolling addresses these issues to promote an ideal physical appearance and improved well-being.

If you suffer from back pain from time to time, you may deal with a range of side effects. For example, knots and inflammation in your back can result in decreased strength and energy when pain persists. These effects can exacerbate the problem. While there are many causes of back pain, some people find that using a foam roller periodically helps to improve their comfort and energy levels.

Many people develop muscle tension because of external stressors. These stressors may be related to their job, personal relationships, money and more. Tense muscles can lead to poor sleep quality. Poor sleep quality, in turn, can increase your stress level the following day. Simply working out your tense muscles by foam rolling at the end of a busy day can do wonders for improving your quality of sleep.

Who Should Use Foam Rolling?

At one time, foam rolling was almost exclusively done by professional athletes, therapists and others who regularly dealt with severely tense and sore muscles. However, the benefits of foam rolling are now well-known, and many people take full advantage of those benefits.

Whether you are an amateur athlete, starting your journey toward improved wellness or simply overwhelmed by tense muscles because of your daily activities, foam rolling could provide you with essential benefits. Many people use foam rolling as a supplement for a regular massage, and others use it for comfort and pain relief in between professional massage treatments.

How to Use a Foam Roller?

Before you start taking advantage of foam rolling, you need to select the right product. They vary by size, price, density and texture. Avoid buying a pure piece of foam. Your roller must have adequate support so that it is firm enough to produce results. A quality roller will have a firmer interior cylinder with durable foam as an outer layer.

Foam rolling offers benefits throughout your body. A great idea is to start working the roller over your feet and lower legs. Slowly work your way up to the top of your body. As you do so, you may notice a particular area that feels tight or painful. Spend more time applying pressure to the area of concern. Typically, you may feel the muscle tension ease within a minute or less. For thoroughness, repeat the process from bottom to top another time or two. Ideally, you will not feel any painful or tense areas on the last pass-over.

How Frequently to Foam Roll?

Many people incorporate foam rolling into their workout routine. They may take advantage of pre-workout rolling to increase range of motion and post-workout rolling to facilitate muscle recovery. In both cases, the extra muscular stimulation throughout the body can increase oxygenation to the muscle fibers.

Because the benefits of foam rolling are so significant, you do not need to wait until your next workout to enjoy the deep relief that this practice provides. Whether you spend your days behind a desk, behind the wheel of a car or in other sedentary capacities, foam rolling can be enjoyed on a daily basis to alleviate muscle aches, improve range of motion and promote optimal flexibility.

The unfortunate reality is that muscle aches and pains are relatively common. Regardless of how you spend your days and how frequently you exercise, stress can lead to muscle tension. Any time you feel tense and stressed, foam rolling can deliver many of the same relaxing benefits as a massage.