Roll That Foam!
By Ross Ashcraft
We all have them: Tightness, chronic sore spots, dull aches, and minor consistent throbbing pain, and persistent weakness
They are the aches and pains that are as familiar to us as an old pair of slippers. We have had them for so long that we assume that they will always be there. We rub them, favor them, heat them, and pop a pill for them. The origins of these aches can come from a childhood injury, a sports activity, our work environment, and even how we sleep.
They are caused by tight fascia. Fascia is the layer of connective tissue that wraps our entire frame. It wraps all of our muscle, bone, nerve, and organs in a cocoon of uninterrupted tissue. Think of it as a giant leotard wrapping us under our skin extending from head to toe.
When this tissue gets injured it can bunch up. Then like any injury or painful area we try to protect it. Unfortunately with it all bunched up and guarded it can get distorted and not heal properly. The longer it remains unhealed that tighter it can become.
Now imagine that leotard bunched up and tight under your skin. Every time you try to move, it impedes you. Perhaps it shortens your stride or does not allow you to raise your arm above your head. After weeks or months of this behavior you have adapted to this change in your range of motion, but you have also accepted a chronic injury as “normal.”
The treatment I’d like to present is a well document and popular technique in physical therapy, massage clinics, and gyms across the planet. It is the Foam Roller. The easiest access to the Foam Roller will be at your local gym. Many sites have great prices and demos. I’ve listed a few at the end.
1. The basic technique is that you put the roller under the injured area.
2. Let your body weight sink into it for around 30 seconds
3. Roll the foam all around the entire area surrounding your injury or tightness muscle.
4. Search for that place of maximum tightness or pain. Once found pause and let your body weight sink into the foam
5. Return to rolling and continue above until you feel the area release.
Students please watch the first video and comment. I’ve listed some good videos that describe full treatments for the hips and lower back. You can skip around until you find the area that demonstrates how to “attack” your problem.
http://learn.nasm.org/courses/ces_cup/CES_module_5_pt1.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pQkgyYeV30&feature=player_embedded
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCIHZsESxOU&feature=related
Below are a few product sites and some more self-help.
http://healing-motion.com/
http://www.atafa.com/products/Foam-Roller-Plus-228431.html
http://www.performbetter.com/detail.aspx?ID=4592&CategoryID=235&utm_source=pricegrabber&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=balance&utm_term=foam%2Broller%2Bplus
http://www.csnstores.com/asp/superbrowse.asp?clid=1364&caid=&sku=ECW1028&PiID=3472078&refid=BSF49-ECW1028_3472078
cool homework to send with clients!
Nice Ross! You’d be hard pressed to find anyone that wouldn’t benefit from a good foam rolling routine. It’s a fantastic contribution to the fitness world.
Thanks David!
Awesome info! I know I’m guilty of “accepting a chronic injury as normal”. I still suffer from shin splints. The roll of foam looks like a great way to release the Tibialis Anterior, without causing pain or pressure on the Tibia. I’m definitely going to try this one too.
I tried this it really works. I was really stiff after being in bed most of the week with the flu. Thanks
Tried this on several injury sites that are flaring up–it works! Thank you for sharing this information with us, Ross. “Pain as normal” was beginning to be a part of my everyday life–acceptance–the “it’s a part of the aging process and just get over yourself” mentality. Avoiding activities and learning to shorten your range of motion to accommodate Mr. NightmareAche and his buddy Pain seemed to be the only way to go–I am so appreciative of learning this. Going to give it a go right before bed and see if I can’t get more than one hour of sleep before the tossing and turning begins. Thanks, Best Teacher Ever.
I’m a big believer in this type of treatment. After seeing MFR being used and participating in some of the treatment of clients, my reservations about how it works changed. Look into this and try it.
great information to have. this therapy technique will help greatly when working with clients.
Definately to be remembered for client homework.
I, too, have been telling myself that certain pains are normal and I should just “suck it up”. It’s amazing to me how so much of the information you share with us, including the foam roller, I can actually use for myself and not just as homework for my clients! Thanks!
I’ve had pains on my rectus femoris before after a workout and I used a wood rolling pin from the kitchen, so this technique sounds simular to that.
I’ve tried this technique for my lower back, and yes, it works! Paired with stretching I have actually gotten relief at the end of the day. I hope everyone tries this atleast once for their problem areas to see if it works for them too!
This is a fabulous technique to give clients for homework. It’s the simple things like this that truly make a difference.
-Brittany Raines
Omg!!! This woul;d be great to use for homework on future clients. Thanks for the great information!!!! 🙂
Thanks Ross – get the technique but still having trouble recognising when to use MFR techniques over specific muscle work. Am I the only one? Know the theory but need to be able to touch/ feel the difference. Hopefully lab demo will help me.
This is really good homework for both clients and for myself. I’m going to try this out and see if it works for me. Thanks Ross!
As much as I would like to try this, I wonder if it would really work for us larger guys! I may not look it but I weigh 250 pounds, and except for the extra padding in the middle, I don’t look overweight.I will give this a shot, but definitely will look for a much firmer foam.
This is interesting thanks Rossy Boy
Thanks Ross this will be great client homework and with 2 boys playing high school soccer it should come in really handy for them.
Nice this is a complete new one on me. It seems like it would really work good and now I really would like to try it. It also seems like as a side benefit you would be getting a little isometric exercise in. Thanks alot.
Thanks Ross, I have several stylists that are continually coming to me with leg pains. I think this will be great information to share with them and see how it works.
Thanks for the great technique. I am really excited about this one bc my mother-in-law is a nurse and she has quite a bit of pains she seems to just not be able to get over so I am really excited to be able to pass this on to her. For me on the other hand I am going to get this started asap I only have a few problem areas but I can not wait to start treating them.
I don’t think I have seen one of these foam rollers before. I will have to see if my gym has one and try this technique out. My low back always seems to hurt and so does my husband’s. If I can find one of these, I look forward to trying it out.
this info is very interesting and I am wondering how it would work on my brother. He has one side titer then the other. if it works ill tell ya
This looks really cool, Will definitely have to try this out! Thanks Ross!
This is good homework to give a client. Also, it’s good homework for me too! I am very tight on my tensor fascia lata so I’m gonna have to invest in one of those. I think I will have fun doing it too!
I have actually used this and it does work very well. I found that it makes a great work out for the abs in certain situations.
i absolutely LOVE foam rolling!!!! thank you Ross. I found it a little painful in some spots, but you assured me that those are spots of soreness and tightness. I think everyone can benefit from this and it is an excellent source of homework for some clients.
Holy Moses! I thought I was pretty well stretched out. Man, was I wrong. This technique showed my just how tight and extremely tender my tensor fascia lata is. I need to do this so, so much. I would recommend it to anyone.
It sounds painful, but very helpful.
thank you Ross!!! i love foam rolling. I learned that i have tight hips and tensor and ilitobial band. i think that it was amazing and it is easy to do. Any one can do it and it makes an excellent source of homework.
This sounds like a great thing to try. I have a few pains I’ve had around for a while. I’ll add this to my knowledge base.
Ok so where do I get this foam? Thanks for posting this.
This looks amazing–really interested in trying/incorporating this.
I hate foam rolling. This tells me I need to do it more. So, off to find them!
I actually really enjoy the foam rolling because it allows me to work on areas that I don’t get to work on easily. I found that I have only one really sore area and that surprises me. As soon as someone finds the bigger rolls let me know I would really enjoy owning one of my own.
After watching the corrective technique video, you get to see how to actually preform certain foam rolling techniques (Im a visual learner) Love the foam rolling though! Along with stretching I feel very loose, pretty much like a new person. Im going to try this more after I get out of the car from a long commute!
I have a love/hate relationship with foam rolling. I hate the way it feels on my IT band and TFL but I love the way it feels on the back & especially the tibalis anterior! It really helps to relieve the ache from shin splints. Today’s foam rolling was perfect timing. I think it was a direct result from running up 3 flights of stairs without stretching yesterday!
I always like when we have the chance to do this, talk about finding your muscle’s weaknesses, I liked the videos also, especially adding some cross fiber to the compression.
I need to do the foam rolling more often and I am really glad to see the one for the lats and teres muscles. No pain no gain that is what I’ll have to keep telling myself.
The foam rolling hurts my bad in some postions but I can see the benafits to it
This may work but i still think it is sooo painful to the point of it being evil
I have tried this since my last post several different times and really like it. I wish my gym had one of these. I really liked the first link on the list. It had a lot more options of how to use this than what we learned in class. Thanks for sharing, Ross. You are awesome.
Nice videos…some of the comments posted for them were entertaining as well. 🙂 Foam rolling is not something I enjoy doing, which means I know I should be doing it more often. It was much easier for me to do with the smaller “half moon” foam rollers, though and will try to get on of those so I can use it for myself and show to clients for homework.
Love the foam rolling and that there is a technique for everywhere on the body.My IT and tfl have really benefited and went from agony and couldnt apply full pressure to bearable agony in a week! Have lent my roller to a client for upper back pain and he doesnt want to give it back – good thing is he wants another massage when he brings it back so thats productive homework!
Foam rolling does help the fascia but it really is uncomfortable. but i love it! thanks!
The foam rolling is quite effective, but man does it hurt. In fact, it seems the more it hurts, the more it indicates I need it on that particular area.
I loved the the foam rolling. I thought I would have more facia than I did. It was a great learning experience and exercise. Thanks.
This sounds like a great thing to try. I have a few pains I’ve had around for a while. I’ll add this to my knowledge base.
Foam rolling was very nice. At first I was like ouch, but it got better as we went thru the routine. I felt so awesome when we was done with the foam rolling technique. I will recomend to people.
LOVE it!!!! It works everyone!!!
Participating using the foam roller this week in class was an interesting way to find sore spots. I think everyone benefited and is in the market for a foam roller to use at home and great client homework.
This is a painful technique. My hips and lower back need this a couple times a week. I think it is helping, but i think it needs it regularly. I would like to have my own foam roller to do this at home and share this with my clients! I think this would help my friend with a back problem to help release his back and hips.
Foam rolling is a great way to really “get in there” Im going to have to watch more videos on it to learn the correct techniques and more tricks for when I need more pressure.
yeah great article….very informative!
This reminds me I probably need to go and get a message…yeah nothing like having and old creepy guy rub you with his cold hands……lol…just kidding!!!!….great article though
I was very suprised on how the foam roll works. I have never used on until I started school here. You never know how sore you are until you use on for yourself. I could not believe how many sore spots I have in my body.
The article is well written and after using the foam roller I can feel the benefits. It’s never a good thing to just deal with pain and the foam roller is a good way to release tension in the fascia.
Great article ross! I can tell a huge difference by using the foam roller before and after i workout. Getting the adductors on the roller hurt but its one of those ‘hurts so good’ kind of pains haha.
Great article. It really explained more about the fascia that I really didn’t know. I use the foam roller almost everyday, it really helps out with my calves where I have some muscle imbalances.
Though this was a very painful treatment, I can understand how it would be extremely helpful and I think I may access a foam roller of my own and try it again!
Useing the foam roll help me to get more flexibily and it dose hurt to do it you will meet your goals faster if you use it because you will have less chance of get thing hurt because you are more flexibul
It’s a great thing to invest in specially for those that do a lot of running and only stretch. This could work out for them as to opening up a new world of muscle stretching.
I thought the information was very useful. I plan on using foam rolling for my clients in the future. I already use it myself.
Great demonstration videos! The important messages that I took from these videos are 1)Technique and form are very important when foam rolling 2)Foam rolling can assist with relaxing just about any muscle of the body 3) Foam rolling should be learned and used more regularly by all who ever feel soarness and tightness after or during exercising becuase it can better your performance as well as decreas risk of injury!
The videos were a good tool to know how to work on some of the sore areas. I have some new techniques that I will try after watching the videos. I did the foam rolling the other night and I was sore. Now I’m back to normal and I feel great! I love foam rolling!
Great stuff here Ross! Such an importan tool in so many areas of health and fitness yet such a cloudy area for alot of people! Foam rolling… whats that?? Its such a great way to get that muscle relaxed and back to its original size and allow us get full range of motion. Foam rolling is not only imoportant to keep our muscles in balance but also allow us to use their full potential on everything we do! Great lesson here man!
I am new to foam rolling and before this week I didnt know what it was. This website and videos helped me better understand. It was very useful and I plan to start foam rolling more often to help with soreness.
Foam rolling is good knowledge to have as it will help when working with clients. Any beneficial help to work out sore spots and kinks will improve overall performance.
These tips are very useful. Using the foam roller really helps to work out stiff or balled up muscle that causes pain. Consistent use of the foam roller can be extremely beneficial and keep you feeling pretty great!
Oh, wow! Talk about a coincidence. I actually like foam rolling and it really does help. Doing the adductors and upper arms are my favorite. Have fun everyone!!
Wow my Latissimus dorsi was sore, didnt realize how bad till this. It was great I am going to use it on homework, they will love/hate me. I like the different positions they use it adds a little to my routine.
As much as I hate doing foam rolling…It really does work…this is going to be great homework to be able to send home with my clients. I will have to purchase my own foam roller so I can do this on a regular basis.
Okay this is one of the more challenging work outs for me. This one is not as pleasant as most of the others, it is down right painful if you have things that are not right within your body. The best part of this is that once you get started on this treatment you do get the relief in the parts that do have sore spots. I found that my adductors were a bit touchy, after this treatment three times this week they do not have anymore of those sore spots. The video was more information than I had seen on the rollers, I have way more in my box to share with my clients, and now that I have made it part of my weekly treatments for myself it will be way easier to get the clients vested in it, the ones that are really wanting to be and feel better that it. There are way lots of videos on this great for in between studying and allowed me to use the desk treatment as well.
I followed one to a different youtube sight for the rhomboids, which happens to be my problem I am having right now. It works great, I also found out if you take a water noodle that you swim with it works great also. It is smaller in diameter and gets into the scaupla a little better. You can bet I have added foam rolling to my stretches at least once a week.
Okay,so I went out and bought a foam roller for everyday use after seeing the youtube videos, because I do have a lot of sore spots that need to be worked on. I couldn’t do the calves thought because of the neuropathy, but I did try. I think that maybe if I work on them a little bit everyday, the burning sensation may diminish the more I do it, so that is what I am shooting for.
Okay,so I went out and bought a foam roller for everyday use after seeing the youtube videos, because I do have a lot of sore spots that need to be worked on. I couldn’t do the calves thought because of the neuropathy, but I did try. I think that maybe if I work on them a little bit everyday, the burning sensation may diminish the more I do it, so that is what my goal is.
I love foam rolling! It really makes a huge difference, I feel so much better after I use it. I also noticed that I felt better during my runs when I did it before a run. This is definitely something I plan on purchasing for myself soon!
This is great stuff! Great for homework for clients and it can really leaving you feeling a lot better. Better get those foam rollers to moving for a better body lol.
Great information. Very helpful & easy to follow. Makes for great homework for client & therapist.
When we did this the second week of Alpha I thought you were trying to kill me. Now that I have a TON more experience I realize that this is such a great tool and LOVE IT! It is painful but I actually slept better last night and it helped my areas that were really sore yesterday. I am saving to buy my own.
Great information. I will be sure to include this technique/exercise fro my clients. I however really don’t care for foam rollers. I can see how they can beneficial at times for certain people. I did however find ways to modify the technique you showed us. This will help me, help my clients better!
I enjoyed this blog. Mainly because sports massage is what I really want to go into. I think that this will be great for my clients to do as a form of homework that would make them feel better. My sister actually introduced foam rollers to my during our workouts summer of last year. Thanks Ross.
I really like the foam rollers. I enjoyed this blog. Lots of great information for therapist and client…GREAT homework!!
well, i don’t like the foam rollers much, but who really does? but i really want to get into the sports massage, and or trigger point therapy. well anyways, this will be amazing homework for my clients.and i know they will love the results.
Foam rollers…..hurts so good.
The foam rollers i feel are a big pain, so I’m not a big fan. I do understand how it can help people so I would definatley recommend them to those in need.
I really found this informative really like the CES part of how this applies to the fitness trainer and purpose of inhibiting over active muscles to correct imbalances.
I think using a foam roller is a great tool for therapy. I’ve only really used them a few times because I don’t have personal access to them. But using foam rollers for inflammation and pain rather than taking a pill or ignoring the problem is a much better solution, because it also aids in stretching the muscles. Can’t wait to try these out some more. Thanks!!
Foam rolling is a great tool. It’s a great way to warm up before working out and also can be used in the cool down after the workout. I already use it and plan to keep using it for myself and for future clients. Great information. Thanks Ross!
Thanks for the great information! I got hooked on foam rolling when I was competing in Florida and have been using it ever since. I think it is a great tool for trainers and plan to use it with my clients. Thanks!!
Ok so must admit the foam rolling is an awesome idea and great to tell the client about just as long as they don’t have to watch me do my foam rolling as well. 🙂 Yes the pain is worth it and will let the client know that as well just sometimes I believe Ross you do things just to hurt us. Yet still loved this!!!
Yay! Foam Rolling! This reminds me of our very first Lab in Sports Massage!! I think people are so stuck to regular stretching only using their bodies. I myself had no clue what a foam roller was until i started the Health and Fitness program. I feel that it is very important for me to be able to teach my future clients various ways to get a good warm-up stretch before a vigorous workout. A good way of doing so would be to introduce the foam rollers!! Yes at times it may be painful but it gets the job done:)
Ross
wAs VERY INFORMATIVE ARTICLE really thought out will try more foam roll work it seems to be a good thing to have with the added benefit it brings thanks for sharing.
I think I’ve already expressed my love for foam rolling.
Very interesting video, lots of great advice. I tried the foam rolling and I love it.
I need this so much!!! I have a lot of pain in my hips,mainly in the hip rotators. I have also worked on someone who has a very tight TFL that I can’t wait to have them try this to help release their tightness. Something worth getting to help yourself and your client’s.
I have never heard of foam rolling. I didn’t know what it was until I watched the video.I thought it was interesting to find out you can use a piece of foam to realse trigger points in a muscle if used the right way. Now I am curious how it feels, I might have to give it a try.
i love the foam rolling, it feels great, you can do it at home and makes perfect client homework. the videos are a real help.
My chiropractor had me do this once, I loved it!
I do have chronic pain all the time neck and shoulders and lower back. If you say the foam roller does actually work I will try it out. I do trust you. Your the expert!
This is VERY good i have been using the foam roller for a while now. It is intense if painful but the best way to relieve the pain or soreness.
That’s a neat way of self massage basically. I didn’t know what they were used for. My brother bought one recently and I thought it was just a regular piece of foam. I guess I’ll have to take it away from him and try it sometime.
This is new for me! I had no idea what foam rolling was until this blog. I must say it looks very interesting. It is amazing to me how something so simple can make such a difference. I love the calves and the TFL techniques the most. I didn’t even realize I had problems in my TFL until i tried this. Thanks Ross!
After doing this in class my back felt so much more relaxed and loose. I discovered how tight my sacral area was and my adductors. I plan on buying one of these to help loosen my hips and glutes.
Foam rolling really helps relieve the pressure in my lower back and works toward correcting my pelvic tilt problem. I’m so glad we got to study it.
The video is very useful, watching the one about relieving lower back pain showed me plenty of ways to use the foam roller. I would highly recommend this to anyone with soreness if not everyone with soreness. And doing it today as we did made my body if better as well as put me in a better mood. Thank you Mr. Ashcraft.
This video was very helpful in understand how to properly use the foam roller, and how it works. I use one already in the FHT program, and it really does help me with my tight adductors and back. I plan on buying one for use at home. I think so many people can benefit from it if they would be willing to work past the initial discomfort.
I have never worked with foam rollers before enrolling in FHT program. It has done wonders for me, just as your blog says. I enjoyed when you led our class, as I learned a lot from you. The video taught me even more! I think I will constantly have more to learn from this simple little roll of foam.
In this video he mentions the exact time in which it takes for the muscle to relax during a foam rolling technique (30 seconds). He also made note of different positions in which a client can do in order to be able to perform the technique. These are great examples and I was personally able to use them to describe this to someone who was sore from working out.
Very informative!
I really liked this blog, it was very helpful and fun to read over.It is amazing how many people really do not realize stretching and hydrating is so important to there daily life. Since I have became a student here at Community Care I have added SMR to my daily workout routines.
Nice demo. Its informative. Makes me want to go out and get a foam roller to use at home. Although i used one in class for the lab demo, and it was painful. Afterward it does feel better.
Great Video, helps to show proper form, especially for my TFL/IT band that are super overactive. i have been doing the SMR on my TFL/IT but i had’t been able to find the tender spot as well as other areas, but after watching the video, i see i wasn’t doing it the right way. so im eager to do it correctly and release the over tight/ over active muscle and activate the under active muscle.
Helpful article. I find that foam rolling does help and prevent injuries from happening during a workout. I will always educate my clients on the importance of foam rolling.
foam rolling is fun and useful, i use it daily before i work out, i feel my body feels refreshed ,good stuff.
Foam rolling is the best invention. It is very helpful rolling out knots in my body. I reccomend it to people with body pain.
The first time I used the foam roller I just fell in love with it, and bought one as soon as possible. I love it and it works. The video was great because not just show you the techniques but the guy that is talking is fantastic in explaining, as well. Thanks Ross. Those videos will be part of my file of good stuff to watch over and over.It is great for clients also.
I really like the foam rollers. I was not for sure how well they would work until Ross had us do a Thursday morning foam roll instead of Yoga. I think this is the easiest way to help someone who is slow moving and has lots of lower back and hip troubles. It works well on the neck and other parts as well. I did see you Ross sneak a foam roll session today during stone massage. lol…it must work if you are on the classroom floor rolling around during lab…”). Good info to share with other clients. Thanks
We have used foam rollers in class once. I LOVED it, it hurt so gooooood. I wish I had a roller to use at home!
I love foam rolling! It hurts most of the time but it’s sooo beneficial! I encourage lots of people to try them.
I always suggest foam rolling to our clients. Wish we had some we could sell at Clary. This is actually something I do at home, my wife hates it but it helps so much. So to everyone reading this get a foam roller! It will be one of the most helpful tools you can get.
Love it and hate it! Very true. Before using the foam roller, I never knew my abductors needed so much attention.
nice pain in the it band when we did the abductors and where your pantyhose tear and your skin sticks out it pinches
This was a really great way for me to find trouble spots in my body. I wish I had one of these at home so I could do it every morning! I didn’t realize how many knots and “twangers” were in my scapulas until I did this. And it felt great to work them out!
As being the first time I have used an foam roller, I can say it does point our issue that you didn’t realize you might have had and it also let’s you know that the issue you thought might have went away is still there. It is a good piece of equipment(tool)to have at one’s home for an after work adjustment.
When we did the foam rolling this morning, I noticed a definite change in the tightness of my fascia, but there are some areas that need multiple sessions of foam rolling like my IT band, my neck, and my quads. I’m going to invest in getting a foam roller and show my mom how it works so it can benefit her to. I think we should have foam rollers to sell at the clinic because they’re absolutely great tools for homework and bettering our clients!
As I contorted my body to better access other parts of my body with the foam roller, I found that the slightest adjustment allowed me to loosen fascia in places that I was not aware I was tender before hand. The ABductors were definately the most tender. By the end of the lab, after rolling off of my spine, I did feel a little bit of a rush. After that rush, I felt very relaxed.
I loved this we just got a demo of this in class tonight by Ross. And I can feel a difference, especially in my back!
Love foam rolling. I have one at home (need to use it more) Really helps with my back issues. Even though it is painful for a few seconds it’s defiantly worth it.
Despite the painfulness, foam rolling is one of my favorite things! It’s great to use regularly as a therapist but also fantastic simple homework to give clients!
I personally love the foam rollers. I think we need to add them in to our weekly workouts. They seem to work better at releasing the tension in my rhomboids than a tennis ball does. I’ve been searching for a reasonably priced roller of my own to have for home. No such luck yet!
I LOVE FOAM ROLLING!!! Earlier on this year when I was in alpha I was having major upper back pain. Ross advised me to foam roll and I did and it has gotten so much better I am rarely in pain in that area anymore. I plan to buy a foam roller of my own…they are such a wonderful tool to use at home for you and your clients 🙂
Mhmm every Licensed Massage therapists should probably have one of these. It might not be a do all fix all, but it sure does help a lot in finding those unknown well covered spots. As well as fixing a lot of newly built spots, a great reference tool that should teach us not to accept pain as a regular commodity as it was not built in the body originally for us to constantly feel. It’s a homeostasis design that lets you know that something is wrong in whatever area.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE foam rolling! definitely I’m going to purchase a foam roller device and tell my clients all about them. I always feel refreshed after foam rolling! I wish we could foam roll everyday in class along with music !
Foam rolling is awesome I do it after my work outs and it really helps me with not being sore the next day. I can tell a huge difference in when I do or do not use one. they are awesome!!!
Very useful information. I like foam rolling because I know its helping me, even though it might hurt sometimes just a bit.
I enjoyed the reading the article. As I am in F&H I already have a back ground on foam rolling so this just gave me little more helpful info to use.
WOW! Amazing I love learning something new every day and this is the best thing ever. Foam rolling is Great!!! Thank you Ross.
Great article! We use foam rollers at my school and I think there great!
This article was amazing and it really opened my mind up. before all this i use to think it was just weaklings that foam rolled, but after I have experienced its benefits it has changed my mind and body!
wow that is awesome i will use the foam roller from now on
Absolutely everyone needs a foam roller. No exceptions. Haha I just am so obsessed with those things. Love them!
I love the foam rollers! They hurt so good! I need to get one!
I absolutely love foam rollers. I also found the video to be very informative and useful. I am wanting to purchase some foam rollers for myself.
It is time for me to buy a foam roll…I have given two away as gifts after our first encounter with them in MT, but it is time for me to give one to myself. That pyriformis stretch looks like it was made for me and my annoying hip.
Completely agree foam rollers are awesome, I love how easy they are to use, great for a self massage and works like a charm. Can’t wait to get one of my own. Awesome techniques available, thank you
I love the foam rollers. I want them to be my best friend. I am so totally getting one.
I have become to love to hate foam rolling. I have a lot of tight fascia issues, and foam rolling is so painful for me, especially in the glute and hip areas. But it’s a good kind of pain. One of these days I am going to purchase a foam roller and actually do it at home. I am confident this will change my life!!! I think the foam rolling could be very beneficial for client’s, especially after they see how beneficial it is.
Foam rolling is easy to do and is effective. I need to go buy a foam roller soon!
Foam rolling is easy to do and is effective. I need to go buy a foam roller soon! very good
love foam rolling 🙂
When we used the foam roller this morning I was able to work on so tenderness n knots that i had in my neck n shoulders. i was surprised to see, how much better my neck felt in just a few hours. So the foam rollers can be used everywhere, not just on legs & back problems.
I will be purchasing a foam roller for sure!
I absolutely love the foam roller. I am planning to go buy me one.
This is awesome homework for clients!!! Thank you so much for sharing.
foam rolling makes my life wonderful!! i tell all my clients about it
I love foam rolling! It’s that love hate relationship… It can get painful and hurt, but the long term benefits from it outweigh the short term pain it causes. Anytime I have any achy muscles, I like to grab a foam roller and work it out. Same thing with tennis balls.
These felt so good when we did them this week. I want to get a foam roller to use more often
foam rolling hurt but after if feels good when its done
I definitely despise foam rolling when I’m doing it, but I love the results. That’s why I will keep doing it. My least favorite is the hip treatment and my favorite is the neck. I will no longer accept a pain for “normal” thanks for foam rolling. Great article! Thanks Ross.
My pleasure. Thrilled that you joined us in our love of foam rolling
Nice write up Mr.Ross ive always loved SMR’s as part of my workouts and to help me sleep at night.
I do not personally enjoy foam rolling, but I recommend it to everyone who is physically active or has uncomfortably sore muscles. This gave a great overview and very simple instructions anyone can follow.
Excellent blog and easy instructions. It can be painful, but in a good way. I highly recommend foam rolling and in the future will definitely put it to use with my clients.
I am going to start foam rolling more often.
foam rolling helps with sore muscles
Foam rolling is awesome and I plan to do it more often to work the knots out.
I have never used a foam roller until i started this class and i must say, it has helped me out a lot. I will be using the foam roller much more!
foam rolling is awesome
I love foam rolling it feels so great, so I’m gonna keep using them.
I love this even though is hurts all to hades!!! But all in all its a good thing to roll that foam!
When I foam roll at home, I use a pool noodle. It is less painful and is cheap to buy especially right now during the summer.
I am a firm believer in foam rolling because i use it every day before i work out and it makes me feel great. It will always hurt at first but once you do it a few time and realize the benefits of it I guarantee you will learn to love it.
I did not like or get foam rolling at first, but after doing it a few times I’ve felt the benefits of it. We have a love/hate relationship, but I know it’ll be worth it once I do it.
foam rolling is defiantly something you have to just get used to. i enjoyed some of the techniques but not all because it can hurt in places.
Thanks for sharing info about foam rolling. I will definitely try this technique with my future clients!
This is a wonderfully detailed write-up on foam rolling. It is extremely important to utilize foam rolling and to encourage this utilization with one’s clients. I would definitely direct my clients to this write-up to give them an at-home reference of the proper techniques of foam rolling.
Thank you Ross.
Foam rolling is very important, and I don’t think very many people understand the importance of it. I’m going to show this write-up to my clients!
Thank you for the very important information about foam rolling.
I am a long distance runner and I have known about the foam roller but didn’t want to use it because it hurt. However the day I ran 12 miles and my calf locked up I was so scared it was injured. I decided to give the foam roller a try. The first time it hurt so bad I almost cried. The next day it was better and by the third day I felt back to normal and was able to resume running. I am a complete believer in the foam roller and I will recommend it to everyone especially runners.
I had no idea how important foam rolling really is. Thanks for the info and can’t wait to share it.
I don’t know if I’m sold on foam rolling yet. I’m trying it for this week.
I am new to foam rolling this was my first week. I didn’t realize how important it was. Ill continue to foam roll
Foam rolling is a great form of homework for future clients and something I will continue to use in the future! Thanks for this information!
This article has helped to further my resolve to add foam rolling to not only my personal routine, but also with my future clients
This type of indirect myofascial release is great self maintenance for massage therapists, and also great client homework.
That second u tube video would the spots on me. Where he was rolling on his side, it would probably be painful at first because that is where most of my pain is
I love foam rollers. I was introduced to them by the Athletic Trainers while I was a student athlete at OSU. I was having problems with my IT Band and the lateral side of my knee on my right leg. I began using a foam roller nearly every day before and after working out and practice. It made a world of difference. I have become a firm believer in foam rollers after seeing what a difference they made for me. I have one at home that I make my family use regularly. I also recommend them as homework to my clients at Clary.
Thank you, Shannon for the great testimonial!
I love that we did this today, I feel amazing and I am definitely going to get a foam roller and doing this every day
This is something that you can send home with your clients so they can keep there muscles relaxed.
This will be a great technique to show clients that have muscle tightness.
Foam rollimg sound and looks wonderful and I am ready to try it on my back
I hate and like the foam roller, did wonders for my fascia. So going to get one felt good on my spine , glutes, scapulae.
hurts so good. love a foam roller. infact i had to buy one once i first tried one out. lol i even keep it in my car just incase a buddies back is hurting.
I have never used foam rolling until this week. It does seem helpful so I’m going to try to continue to use it. Also it is a great idea for client homework. Thanks
I really like learning about the foam rolling because it is a great homework assignment to give to your client. To me it show’s my interest in helping them get better not just taking their money. Besides it feels amazing!
Foam rolling is away to work on yourself. Only you can feel the difference and now for sure what you need to work on. This a great idea for the client to help relieve stress or injury.
love the foam rollers, i tell all my friends with sore backs to give it a try. ofcoarse some are more stubborn than others, but alas the friends i know that stick with it say they dont have near as much backpain now than they use to.
Foam Rolling is actually something that is new to me! This was actually my first time ever hearing about it and i had no ideal it could be so fun, easy, and healthy!!
I love foam rollers, its a good pain! I started using them when I did crossfit, it really helped my legs.They are also a great cool down to do after a workout.
Foam rolling is one thing I need to do more of!I hadn’t used a foam roller until a couple days ago for probably 5 or so years and my body definitely felt it! Foam rolling is amazing!
Personally i dont like foam rollers but if people say it makes a difference then i can use this information for my clients and have them follow the instructions it would most likely benefit them and most likely it would benefit me as well but there so blah
We have done this a few times in class and although it is very uncomfortable at the time it pays off later in the day. It really helps you feel more relaxed and less “stuck” when applied to a problem area. I have been trying to find a foam roller for use at home.
I am looking forward to purchasing a foam roller. I see that Wal-mart has some by Golld’s Gym. Haven’t quite decided which size/length will be best.
Foam rolling…a massage for between massages!
I love foam rolling, I love the stretch that I get, feel great!!!
Foam rolling massage is a great way to loosen up tight and sore muscles after a hard workout or a marathon race. I tried foam rolling today and it loosened the knots out of my calves.
Foam rolling is a good way to loosen up tight muscles and get sores out. It pays off in the long run if you do this after a hard workout or a marathon and you have tight hamstrings this can really help that out.
I love foam rolling! It works out all the tight spots. It’s rough at first but it gets better with time and feels great after you’re done.
I love love love foam rolling after the first time we did the foam rolling a few months back I had to get me one. I ordered mine from amazon. I gave my hair dresser a massage and she was complaining of her lower back hurting really bad I asked her if she ever used a foam roller she hadn’t so I showed her how to use it. She used it twice before she left my house then went and bought one and uses it everyday.
I also love the foam roller. I keep mine at work so i can use it between appointments! It makes a huge difference in my day, if i dont foam roll, i feel tense and sore constantly
Foam rolling is one of those activities that are not fun to do, but help you feel better later.
The relief is enjoyable, but some spots take several sessions before they noticeable gets better.
Keeping at it to maintain a pain free body is a good idea.
Its a amazing how much foam rolling helps with working those knots out as well as stretching and its great for your body…
I have been very surprised at how sore that I have been this week! I have used a foam roller on my back, but not to the extent that we have this week! Very good on the glutes and back!
I love using the foam roller between my right scapula and spine because it helps get the knot out that i have there that’s really tender
I love foam rolling it releases most of my muscle tension.
Not only is this a really good thing to do for yourself but it’s so easy that u can use it as homework for your clients, love foam rolling.
Foam rolling has become my new “love you and hate you so much at the same time”. It gets exactly what I can’t get to and right where I need it. Not only does it feel good, it is good. Stretching out those muscles and reducing the knots in your body is just an awesome feeling. I think we should do it every day before class. FOAM ROLLING CLUB!!
I’m in the fitness and health program and I never really thought foam rolling was that great. Don’t get me wrong I do know what good it does for your body. But I don’t like doing it until we started doing it in sports massage. It makes you feel more energized.
article was very educating and has encourage me to take up foam rolling and develope a regular routine for it.
I was unaware of foam rolling until a few weeks ago. I really find foam rolling relaxing even when there’s pain involved on the tender areas. I rather go threw minutes of discomfort to feel better through the day.
Thank you Ross! I never thought foam rolling was all that important. With the information I have experienced and learned from your article I will have my clients rolled out and feeling great in no time!
Foam rolling is an easy homework and it can really help if you actually do it. I love the leotard analogy it makes so much sense
I need to fine a way to do foam rolling with out hurting my spine. But I think it helps a lot for soreness.
I have enjoyed learning about foam rolling and all the benefits that it helps with it. These blogs are fun and interesting to help us learn more.
I didn’t realize before how much foam rolling can help me. I like that I can use these techniques to help myself and now hopefully help others.
This is good. I like the foam rolling on the back. Those are good techniques in the video for the back. The video has great information. Thanks for sharing
I really like this technique. I had no idea that you could actually treat yourself like this. I tried it tonight in class and I could actually feel a difference. I’m ready to share this with everyone. My favorite was the hamstring and back position
I’m shocked how much foam rolling hurts, I must have really tight fascia!. I’m going to buy myself one for Christmas and learn some routines so I’ll be able to share with my clients for homework.
Foam rolling is a good way to find tight spots in the body and stretch them out. It’s also good to give clients homework and teach them how to use a foam roller.
Foam rolling is a great way to get clients started working out and to get a general knowledge of the muscles in the body
It was a good read. Taught me new stuff. I like doing foam rolling before I workout.
I love foam rolling!!!! I also love sharing these techniques with people. Its amazing how many people have never heard of a foam roller.
Great info on here. Definitely information I will pass on to my clients.
I need to get a foam roller! It is a great tool to have and it’s good for you. I love learning new ways to get the body moving!
Ross’ knowledge of foam rollers is expansive. Wow, just wow.
I just bought a good foam roller, worth every cent! Great blog! thanks.