Foam Rolling

Zamboni

Hi,

As I am not completely blind I have noticed the massive trend of foam rolling in the past year or so.
I am completely ignorant to the benefits and I cannot really picture our evolutionary forebears rollings themselves on logs 'oohing' and aahing'
Would be delighted if anyone could explain to me the hows and whys of its effectiveness?

Your skeptically:pac:,

Z

d'Oracle

Its a bit like massage.

Which our forebears have been doing in some form for ages.

Hurts a bit, then makes it feel better.

Sometimes its good to accept that faffing about plains getting eaten, trampled and dying when any little malady or injury occurs was a pretty **** way to live.

Brian?

Our "evolutionary forebears" didn't have penecillen, insulin therapy or well any medicine at all, so they must be useless as well.

Foam rolling is brilliant, its basically a self massage. Roll out the sore spots and feel better.

I don't see what there is to be sceptical about, unless you are sceptical about massage as well. The you, my friend, have bigger problems than anyone here can solve .

drdeadlift

Foam rolling is so cool.Massage is much better tho;)

Zamboni

So its just a self massaging tool (lump of foam) marketed to the fitness industry?
Fair enough so.

d'Oracle

Zamboni wrote: »

So its just a self massaging tool (lump of foam) marketed to the fitness industry?
Fair enough so.

Yes.
An inexpensive lump of foam marketed to both the fitness and physical therapy industries.

johnn

I thought it was meant to aid things like posture in the shoulders etc?

Hanley

johnn wrote: »

I thought it was meant to aid things like posture in the shoulders etc?

Maybe indirectly thru loosening up adhesions and restoring full range of motion or sometihng... but what it's really for is as said above.

Antisocialiser

I dont really have any problems with my legs but sometimes i get a bit of pain in my shoulder from pressing or benching. Usually a few minutes with a golf ball makes me feel miles better. Is it ok that i address these issues as they arise or would i see benefits in something like the gridroller used pre-workout too?

token

I find it helps with recovery because it helps clear doms and stiffness after heavy sessions. It helps increase range of motion also by getting rid of 'gristle' as Kelly Starett calls it that may be restricting your movement. Google 'myofascial release'.

Check out some of the videos at http://mobilitywod.blogspot.com/ on how to implement it.

Zamboni

So far we have,

Its a bit like massage
Its brilliant
Its cool
Ok so people are positive about foam rolling.

It helps increase range of motion also by getting rid of 'gristle'
Does it?
How?
What is is actually effective for?
Why is it effective?

I did google myfascial release and got this from the bible of wiki,
Myofascial release is a form of soft tissue therapy used to treat somatic dysfunction and accompanying pain and restriction of motion

So if it is used in treating somatic dysfunction, why are people who are fine using it?
Is it used for injury prevention?

Forgive all my skepticism but its like one day someone said foam rollers are awesome. Then everyone went out, bought one and started using them and nobody ever bothered asking why?

Inspector Coptoor

I find that foam rolling benefits me.
Not hugely but a little.
the thing is that it does help as part of a prehab/stretching tool in addition to regular stretching.

It really helps me with my back, get all them lovely cracking noises and a feel good feeling.
My legs (quads, hams and glutes) always seem to have less DOMS after a tough session if have foam rolled afterwards than if I havent.

Like everything else, the body gets used to foam rolling.
you may have to get a harder foam roller( or if you're very brave, a PVC pipe or if you;re super awesomley hardcore, a concrete water pipe) in order to feel the same benefits.

Hope this helps Zamboni

d'Oracle

How bout this.

Try it.
If you don't like it or it doesn't do anything for you, don't do it.
If you do like it and it makes a difference, do it.

tempura

I get my 9 year old to walk on my back, im telling you, theres nothing like it after a workout ! He charges a fiver though, so the foam roller is probablly cheaper.

Inspector Coptoor

tempura wrote: »

I get my 9 year old to walk on my back, im telling you, theres nothing like it after a workout ! He charges a fiver though, so the foam roller is probablly cheaper.

my own foam roller at home is gone to feck so I get the gf to walk on my back, quads and hamstrings.
She thinks Im mental but it feels great

Zamboni

Liam Henners257 wrote: »

Hope this helps Zamboni

Cheers Liam.
I suppose the problem is that it all seems to be personal testimonials if you know what I mean.
If its psychosomatic, thats fine. Crack on
But I can't seem to find anything to back up how awesome these things are other than Eric Cressey says so.

Remmy

I've recently started doing it and I think it helps for recovery especially if you are working a muscle group more than once a week.Im only starting off with it but where my quads attach just over my knees get quite tight and rolling helps this out a good bit and also my upper back .Great piece of kit!

Inspector Coptoor

I guess it was "the new thing" there for a while.

It did seem as if there was a foam rolling Olympics coming up the way people were going on about it.

I was a bit skeptical myself but I wouldnt be without it anymore.
I also find rollong my feet with a cricket ball to be good.

Remmy

Liam Henners257 wrote: »

I guess it was "the new thing" there for a while.

It did seem as if there was a foam rolling Olympics coming up the way people were going on about it.

I was a bit skeptical myself but I wouldnt be without it anymore.
I also find rollong my feet with a cricket ball to be good.

I use a cricket ball myself for my back.Hurts like a b=tch but feels great afterwards.By feet do you mean the soles?I never tried that before..

Inspector Coptoor

Remmy wrote: »

By feet do you mean the soles?I never tried that before..

yeah, that's exactly what I mean.
right in the arches like

thehamo

I know the op said its all personal testamonials, and tbh im gonna throw one in for good measure!:p

Ive had crazy pains in my knees, back, hamstrings, feet, basically you name it and it hurt! I would go and get a massage every couple of weeks, costing on average 40 euro.

Went and bought a foam roller for 20 euro and havent needed a massage since. First time I used it on my quads, hams and IT band, i actually nearly cried with the pain, so must have been doing some good. Used it twice every day for a week and I can honestly say every little nagging pain I would get was gone. I was able to bend and move properly with my back for the first time in months. I use it every time I go for a run, or have done a hard session in the gym. I swear by their effectiveness!

But I suppsoe what works for some doesnt work for others

Rycn

A roll over whatever muscle I was working with a tennis ball post-workout does the job for me so I don't know what the problem is OP.

dartstothesea

Could someone recommend a place to cheaply get all the basic foam rolling stuff (just 2 or 3 items I presume) I'd need for legs, shoulders, lower back and glutes?
Internet place or city centre place would be preferable.

Rycn

Zamboni wrote: »

So far we have,

Its a bit like massage
Its brilliant
Its cool
Ok so people are positive about foam rolling.

It helps increase range of motion also by getting rid of 'gristle'
Does it?
How?
What is is actually effective for?
Why is it effective?

I did google myfascial release and got this from the bible of wiki,
Myofascial release is a form of soft tissue therapy used to treat somatic dysfunction and accompanying pain and restriction of motion

So if it is used in treating somatic dysfunction, why are people who are fine using it?
>You can be fine and have a restricted range of motion.

Forgive all my skepticism but its like one day someone said foam rollers are awesome. Then everyone went out, bought one and started using them and nobody ever bothered asking why?

Until your highness came along and basically said he's too mad for them.

Brian?

Zamboni wrote: »

Cheers Liam.
I suppose the problem is that it all seems to be personal testimonials if you know what I mean.
If its psychosomatic, thats fine. Crack on
But I can't seem to find anything to back up how awesome these things are other than Eric Cressey says so.

Do you think it's a conspiracy by world foam manufacturers?

Foam rollers are a tool. It's the myofascial release that's "awesome".

http://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=myofascial+release+study&hl=en&as_sdt=0&as_vis=1&oi=scholart

Foam rollers are a handy way of doing self myofacial release. You don't NEED one though, there are plenty of other ways to do it: PVC pipe, cricket ball, golf ball etc..

Foam rollers are cheap and effective, I really don't understand the skepticism.

token

I forgot to say why I started using one in the first place. At the start of the year I had a knee injury. I think it was from running/plyos and such, basically overuse from high impact activities. I thought there was something seriously wrong with my knee because I couldn't run at all without severe pain. After about two months I stopped being an idiot and went to a Physical Therapist. Turned out I just had a really tight IT Band which was causing my knee to come out of alighment and bits were grinding against each other (that's as technical as explanation as I can remember now). He recommened stretching and foam rolling to fix it. It worked and that's when I woke up to the importance of this type of stuff for prehab/rehab. Plus it helps recovery and helps increase range of motion like I said earlier.

So in summary it's a tool for performing physical therapy/massage on yourself. Ideally you'd have a physical therpist perform this on you but unless your a professional athlete that's not going to be feasible. So it's out with the foam roller and lacrosse ball for me.

So like brainkeating said..

briankeating wrote: »

Foam rolling is brilliant, its basically a self massage. Roll out the sore spots and feel better.

I don't see what there is to be sceptical about, unless you are sceptical about massage as well. The you, my friend, have bigger problems than anyone here can solve .

I'm not going to try to attempt to explain the exact mechanisms of it because I'm not a physical therapist.

Zamboni

Rycn wrote: »

Until your highness came along and basically said he's too mad for them.

No real need for that.
I won't bother anymore so.
I'll just jump on any bandwagon that comes along without asking any questions.


@brian
Myofascial release was not a subject on anything I've previously studied.
Think I'll have a wee read over the weekend. Cheers

g'em

Rycn wrote: »

Until your highness came along and basically said he's too mad for them.

What??

Khannie

I foam roll occasionally. I was having trouble with tight IT bands (it was causing me hip pain when trying to kick) and foam rolling made a flipping WHOPPER difference to my flexibility. Now I think the 80 / 20 rule applies here: You'll get 80% of the benefit with the first 20% of the effort. I certainly did.

Foam rolling does a few things physically as I understand it (and I'm working off memory here, so I may be wrong):

It lengthens the muscle by stressing it
It helps to reduce knots in the muscle caused by previous injury

It is slightly uncomfortable, but in a kinda nice way. I would say d'Oracle is spot on. Give it a go. if you like it, keep doing it. If not, then stop. You have little to lose (I got my roller for 20 euro).

Hanley

g'em wrote: »

What??

Was he talking about me?

token

Khannie wrote: »

Now I think the 80 / 20 rule applies here: You'll get 80% of the benefit with the first 20% of the effort. I certainly did.

I'd go along with that too. I got the most benefit from the initial use of it. I use it about 20-30 minutes a week currently but If I'm feeling lazy and skip a week of it it's no biggie but I will start to feel tighter if i leave it more than 2-3 weeks.

g'em

Hanley wrote: »

Was he talking about me?

It's almost like you're trying to create a meme about your own ego... it's like the ultimate ego move

d'Oracle

g'em wrote: »

It's almost like you're trying to create a meme about your own ego... it's like the ultimate ego move

A meme?
What like IDIBISHDI?
Two words you'll never hear?
:D

Hanley

g'em wrote: »

It's almost like you're trying to create a meme about your own ego... it's like the ultimate ego move

d'Oracle wrote: »

A meme?
What like IDIBISHDI?
Two words you'll never hear?
:D

Banging, broke or blitzed - Hanley never quits.

kevpants

Hanley wrote: »

Banging, broke or blitzed - Hanley never quits.

Johnny Bravo had a great line in one of the episodes whilst on a date. It can maybe be your new mantra.

Well enough about me let's talk about you. What do you think of me?

captain P

I have been foam rolling for a few months now and find it simply fantastic.
My flexibility has improved i.e. I went from not being able to touch my toes, to being able to put my hands flat on the floor. And I'm back running (injury free so far).

I'd spent about €600 on physiotherapy over the last 2 years (for upper back, wrist problem and recurring shin splints) and the rolling has helped more for a fraction of the cost!!
I find that the rolling is most effective for my quads, calves, IT band and using a massage ball around my shoulder blades and stand on it for my feet.

It hurts, but its a good pain :eek:

stellios

captain P wrote: »

I have been foam rolling for a few months now and find it simply fantastic.
My flexibility has improved i.e. I went from not being able to touch my toes, to being able to put my hands flat on the floor. And I'm back running (injury free so far).

I'd spent about €600 on physiotherapy over the last 2 years (for upper back, wrist problem and recurring shin splints) and the rolling has helped more for a fraction of the cost!!
I find that the rolling is most effective for my quads, calves, IT band and using a massage ball around my shoulder blades and stand on it for my feet.

It hurts, but its a good pain :eek:

I have problems with shin splints. How did you get rid of yours exactly?

Khannie

stellios wrote: »

I have problems with shin splints. How did you get rid of yours exactly?

I got rid of mine by having more potassium. True story. Shin splints can be caused by lots of things.

stellios

Khannie wrote: »

I got rid of mine by having more potassium. True story. Shin splints can be caused by lots of things.

Mine is from tight calves and hamstrings. also have fallen arches, but have orthotics about 2 years now. cannot seems to loosin out no matter how much stretching i do..

captain P

Khannie wrote: »

I got rid of mine by having more potassium. True story. Shin splints can be caused by lots of things.

Mine were apparently caused by tight upper leg muscles and a weak ankle/foot on one side. There's loads of causes of "shin splints", its a fairly broad term for any shin pain really.

d'Oracle

captain P wrote: »

There's loads of causes of "shin splints", its a fairly broad term for any shin pain really.

This.

Brian?

captain P wrote: »

There's loads of causes of "shin splints", its a fairly broad term for any shin pain really.

"Shin splints" should always be in quotation marks. No one seems to know what they are. They seem to be an all embracing term for any type of pain in the shins.

stellios

If anyone has gotten rid of their "shin splint" how did you do it?

Brian?

stellios wrote: »

If anyone has gotten rid of their "shin splint" how did you do it?

You might want to ask a physio.

stellios

Believe me i have spent a lot of money on physios. Actually i have been to three different physios.

Never heard of or was never advised on foam rollers until i started reading this forum. Was considering getting one.. Want to see how other people got on..

Transform

stellios wrote: »

Believe me i have spent a lot of money on physios. Actually i have been to three different physios.

Never heard of or was never advised on foam rollers until i started reading this forum. Was considering getting one.. Want to see how other people got on..

shin splints or not you could do with some foam rolling

BobbyJohn

I've heard that Total Fitness and Westwood are talking about setting up foam roller classes. Supoosedly aimed at: Flexibility; Core; Rehab and also strength?
I can see how core, rehab and flexibility might work but strength????

I have one at home and found Irish Fit on the web to be the best supplier.

nice_guy80

BobbyJohn wrote: »

I've heard that Total Fitness and Westwood are talking about setting up foam roller classes. Supoosedly aimed at: Flexibility; Core; Rehab and also strength?
I can see how core, rehab and flexibility might work but strength????

I have one at home and found Irish Fit on the web to be the best supplier.

yep. have the contoured foam roller
does the job nicely

takes motivation and patience to use it though when all you want to do is lounge around when you are tired your muscles are in bits

Renn

Okay, which one should I be looking to get off this site?

Need to work on my lower back and would like to order asap!

Thanks.

Banks

Renn wrote: »

Okay, which one should I be looking to get off this site?

Need to work on my lower back and would like to order asap!

Thanks.

Id go with the trigger point one. I have the softer one at the moment and its beginning to get out of shape from 6 months use. Trigger one is more expensive but should last a long time!

dartstothesea

Even including shipping it might be slightly cheaper for you to get the grid from Amazon.com, if you find one that ships here. €50 excl. shipping for some foam can get the boat.