Foam Rollers...Yes or No?

They are everywhere, all the pro’s and celebrities are using them. If you’re not already, should you use one too?

Promoters of foam rollers make many claims that it releases fascia, lengthens muscle tensions, helps heal injuries, prepares the body for sport activities, helps with post sport settling and more.  Some of these points are valid and some stretching the truth.

My two cents on foam rollers is yes, they can be a good thing to use, but only with the correct method and for the right reasons.

Just go to instagram or youtube and you will see many people giving a whole lot of advice on foam roller techniques. This can be greatly misconceived. So listen to me!

When you see someone moving back and forth on a foam roller as if their life depended on it, don’t be deceived into thinking this is correct.  It may be, but it depends on the situation.

If they are applying light pressure for a pre-sport preparation, then yes, it is correct. BUT if they are applying heavy pressure and moving fast…NO, NO, NO! This is similar to someone driving a forearm into your quads and moving up and down fast. Not good and not good for you. By the way, if a therapist does this to you…RUN AWAY. This will only lead to your body tightening to protect the area and possibly even cause damage.

All banter aside, foam rollers can be a useful tool for a number of things:

• Body awareness
• Lightly releasing guarded muscle tissue
• Preparation for activity
• Rehabilitation of surrounding tissues
• Mobilising spinal joints and other joints

…and more

So how do you use it? It depends on what you are using it for but in simple terms:

•  The deeper you go, the slower you go.
•  Pause on tense areas and relax into it.
•  Never go to pain, discomfort at max
•  For pre-sport, fast is ok but go light. You are stimulating the tissue to fire it up in prep for the activity.

All this and much more in my 12-week online program which helps you break free from the cycles of back pain, weight gain and poor health. It is starting on March 1, 2023.

Don’t miss out. Book a free no obligation call with me this week to see if my program is the right fit for you. I want to find the best solution for you and will be honest If I don’t think my program is right for you.

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