Foam rolling. We all do it, but there isn’t much information passed on for this practice, we just do it. So, why? And what’s the best way to go about it?

In short, foam rolling is particularly helpful for improving range of motion, and range of motion is essential for joint function and health, as well as technical performance in particular exercises. It also aids in muscle recovery when experiencing delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) post-training.

Here’s all you need to know about it and a picture by picture sequence on how to release your whole body.

Self myofascial release

Fascia is collagen-rich connective tissues surrounding your muscles and organs. It’s responsible for transmitting force or mechanical tension generated in both the muscles or by external forces. So think of a system of nets wrapping around your muscles, blood vessels, organs, etc.

Myofascial release is when a clinical practitioner like a massage therapist, myotherapist, osetopath or physio use trigger points and stroking techniques to release tension in our fascia to increase flexibility, range of motion and extensibility (ability to be stretched).

Self myofascial release is when we release the fascia ourselves by using a foam roller, lacrosse ball, trigger point stick and other tools to relieve tension in our muscles (but it’s actually tension in our fascia).

There is limited research into exactly how effective self myofascial release is on performance or long-lasting flexibility, however it is proven to aid in recovery, improve soft tissue adhesions and scar tissue, and improve range of motion without affecting muscular performance.

So… who should be foam rolling?

Pretty much everybody - whether it’s to help with post-training recovery or improve range of motion pre-training, most people will benefit from using a foam roller or trigger point tool on their tight areas!

You can use them pre-session to warm up a particularly tight area (followed by specific activation exercises) in order to have optimal range of motion during training. Or you can use them post-session or outside of sessions to limit/ease DOMS.

Here are a few examples to get a full body release:

Happy rolling!

Sources:

• Chris Beardsley & Jakob Škarabot 2015 ‘Effects of self-myofascial release: A systematic review’, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S136085921500217X

• Okamoto, T; Masuhara, M; Ikuta, K 2014 ‘Acute effects of self-myofascial release using a foam roller on arterial function’, https://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/Fulltext/2014/01000/Acute_Effects_of_Self_Myofascial_Release_Using_a.9.aspx

• Cheatham, S.W; Kolber, M.J; Cain, M; Lee, M 2015 ‘The effects of self-myofascial release using a foam roll or roller massager on joint range of motion, muscle recovery, and performance: a systematic review’, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4637917/