Foam Rolling

Foam rolling isn’t just for runners. Whether you’re running, hiking, skiing, boarding, you name it, foam rolling is something you should be incorporating into your life. If you’re more active, you should be rolling every day to help loosen your muscles. If I don’t roll daily, my legs get angry. And I much prefer my legs to be happy; costs me less physio and massage 😉

What is it?

Foam rolling is a method used to help release tension buildup in your muscles, relieve muscle soreness and help improve your overall range of motion. This is not something that replaces static stretches after a workout, but rather something that can be done daily, in addition to stretching/yoga.

Foam rolling is basically self-myofascial release. This deeper compression helps release tight muscles and allows the resumption of blood flow and healthy tissues. However, there is a difference between the intensity of releasing and pain. If you begin to roll in a certain spot and it feels too painful, try working on releasing the areas around that particular muscle.

Foam rolling is meant to help you, not hinder you.

How do I foam roll?

Can I roll every area of my body? How long do I hold the muscle for? Is it a long hold or a gentle movement getting at more of the muscle? Do I do it before or after a workout? Should I foam roll every day?

I foam roll every single day and I find it helps me find potential problems, before becoming bigger problems. I have a shorter foam roller, with indentations on it. This is perfect for me to keep in the house and to also use while travelling. Foam rolling is a key part in my post-run recovery whether I was out on a long run or a short run.

I typically tend to focus on my lower body – calves, shins, quads and hamstrings – but I will on occasion roll out my mid-back. I did, however, get professional advice on using a foam roller to roll out my back as if you’re not careful, you can send your lower back into spasm mode.

You should never, ever roll a bone (such as your knee). You can foam roll your shins, but I put more pressure into my calves relative to my shins when it comes to rolling.

To roll, apply moderate pressure to the muscle area, and begin to slowly roll the muscle out moving back and forth, up and down, for about 30 seconds. You will slowly start to feel like muscle release, and it is imperative to breathe throughout your rolling session. Similar to yoga, except not nearly as enjoyable as yoga.

The goal is not to feel the most amount of pain if there is a lot of pain in one area, you should try rolling the area around the muscle, or stop and seek out a professional opinion.

Before or after a workout?

I foam roll before and after, but there is a significant difference between the two. Before a run, I will foam roll my calves and quads as they’re the muscles that get really tight, all the damn time. When foam rolling prior to a run, I don’t roll as slowly or hold (unless my calves are very tight). I use the foam roller to help wake up my muscles and get them ready to run.

After a run, I roll out my shins, calves, quads and hamstrings. If I went for a long run (15km +), then I also use a lacrosse ball and use that to roll out my hip. I tend to not roll my IT band as I don’t find I get a lot out of it. I do find that walking for a KM post-run, helps my IT band.

Benefits of Foam Rolling

Eases muscular pain
Aids in muscle repair
Helps improve range of motion
Relieve upper back pain (but seek some professional help first – you don’t want to do more damage to your back)
Helps you relax
Increases blood flow
Reduces inflammation

When you foam roll daily, you can help keep your muscles nice and limber. When we’re focused on one activity we tend to overuse some muscles and underuse others. And what happens with overuse? You got it – injuries. What do we not want? Darn tootin’ – we want no injuries!

Is Rolling For Everyone

Foam rolling does not just apply to runners, but rather the population as a whole. Sitting all day for example? Use that foam roller in the middle and end of your day on your quads up towards your hips, as well as the glutes. Sitting all day causes your hips to tighten so use the foam roller for that self-myofascial release to help ease tightness in the hips and pain in the lower back.

If you are on your feet all day, using the foam roller at the end of the day can help relieve your leg muscles after a long day.

Just feeling a little sore in general? Bust out the foam roller and get into those muscles. Remember, the pain should not be unbearable.

If you are rolling, and you can’t get your muscles to release, or there is a lot of pain, you should try reaching out to your physio and/or massage therapist. Sometimes I can’t get into my calf muscles enough, so I wind up getting my RMT to get in and try to release, or I go to physio can endure an IMS (dry needling) session. The more and more you incorporate rolling into your daily routine, the better you’re bound to feel generally speaking.

As a constantly injured runner, I know full well how good rolling out my muscles is, even on my off days. I keep my foam roller in sight at all times, and will typically roll a little in the morning while trying to remember to do yoga as well, and then I’ll roll the quads and glutes mid-day, to help out the hips, with a deeper rolling session right before bed. If I have been out for a run or in the gym for a workout, I will foam roll and stretch as soon as the workout is over, before hopping in the shower.

So, do you think foam rolling can help you? Have you ever foam rolled?