Foam Rolling - How to do it, why you should do it and who says it's worth it

This article is all about the world of self-myofascial release (SMR), in particular, foam rolling.  If you have never heard of this term or would just like to know a bit more information about it, you have come to the right place! This article will be discussing what a foam roller actually is, why they are used, what they actually do and, finally, what does the latest research say about them?

I hope you enjoy!

 

What is a foam roller?

So first up, what is a foam roller? Its not a trick question, a foam roller is simply just a cylinder piece of foam (that rolls).  They come in various sizes and densities, which is usually indicated by the colour of foam. White rollers are the softest, black rollers are the firmest and blue rollers are somewhere in between. They are not hard to find either, just search online for a foam roller and you are sure to find a stockiest.

 

For anybody that has never seen a foam roller and is wondering what I am talking about, this is what one looks like...

 

As you can see, they aren’t flash and they aren’t fancy. 

You might be wondering why this piece of foam is so special?  

 

Why should I use one?

Most athletes will use a foam roller with the aim to reduce muscle soreness and enhance their recovery in order to maximize their levels of performance.  But how is this achieved?

 

What do they do?

In simple terms, just think of foam rolling as ironing (stay with me).

When you train hard, muscles suffer from micro trauma. This micro trauma can lead to the formation of scar tissue and knots in the muscle, which may impede nerve conduction and blood flow. This can then lead to muscle soreness and reduce the contraction speed of your muscles, therefore your performance!

By carefully aligning the roller with particular muscles (like an iron), the roller is used to apply pressure to areas of soreness in muscles. This enables you to break up the scar tissue that may have formed (like creases in a shirt).

 

They can also be used to increase your flexibility and your range of movement, a process called autogenic inhibition. As pressure is applied to the muscle, mechanoreceptors called Golgi Tendon Organs inform the brain that tension is being placed on the muscle. The brain then sends a message back to relax the muscle, preventing it from tearing.  A reduction in tension means a reduction in pain and improvements in muscular function.

 

How do I use one?

As briefly mentioned, rollers are used to apply pressure on areas of soreness in your muscles. They are really simple to use. Place the roller on a sore muscle area and roll slowly, using your body weight to apply the pressure. Once you have found a sore point, stop and apply direct pressure whilst trying to relax the muscle. It is advised to spend between 30-60 seconds per muscle group, depending on your perceived soreness.

Foam rolling is a great method to use as part of a pre-hab routine before your training session or as part of a recovery routine after your session. It becomes a great habit to have in making sure that you are getting the most out of your training sessions.

But does it actually work?

 

 

 

 

What does the research say?

 

There are many studies that have researched the effectiveness of foam rolling but I have summarised the findings of two recent papers. The references can be found below in case you would like to look into them further.

The first paper looked at was by MacDonald et al. (2014). This study looked at foam rolling as a recovery tool after an intense bout of physical activity. Results concluded that foam rolling was a beneficial tool in reducing muscle soreness whilst also improving vertical jump height, muscle activation and passive and dynamic range of motion in comparison to a group that did not use foam rollers.

A study by Pearcey et al. (2014) found results that adhered to the findings by Macdonald et al. (2014). They concluded that foam-rolling effectively reduced the delayed onset of muscle soreness (DOMS) and the associated decrements in dynamic performance (sprint speed, power and dynamic strength endurance).

So that’s a little bit about self-myofascial release; why not get your hands on a foam roller and try it for yourself. I’d love to hear what you think!

 

References

Macdonald, G., Button, D., Drinkwater, E. and Behm, D. (2014). Foam Rolling as a Recovery Tool After an Intense Bout of Physical Activity. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 46 (1), pp.131-142.

Pearcey, G., Bradbury-Squires, D., Kawamoto, J., Drinkwater, E., Behm, D. and Button, D. (2014). Foam Rolling for Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness and Recovery of Dynamic Performance Measures. Journal of Athletic Training. [In Press]

 

This article was written by Rob Etherington.