Does foam rolling (self myofascial release) work?
According to studies Foam rolling (SMR) enhances performance and aids recovery without any major drawbacks. Need to warm up; foam roll. Feeling stiff after a hard workout; Foam roll. Hung over? Foam Roll (seriously).
How’s it work?
Foam rolling triggers a series of physiological and mechanical responses within the body by:
- stimulating mechanoreceptors
- increasing blood flow and tissue oxygenation
- triggering release of nitric oxide into the bloodstream
Just put your sore muscle on the roller, put some body weight on it and roll back and forth. It should hurt so good. Comfortably uncomfortable. The more a muscle hurts under the roller the more you need to roll it (if you can stand the discomfort).
Hurts so good
Wanna see something cool? Watch this before/after how quickly foam rolling, increases flexibility.
Foam rolling makes you more flexible pretty much instantly. It reduces stiffness and soreness post workout as well. The reason it works is up for debate. Some think the roller releases adhesions between layers of fascia. Others think the roller moves fluid through your cells (why it may help hang overs). Some say it’s trigger points. Some say it has to do with Golgi tendon stimulation.
And sometimes love don’t feel like it should. You make it…
I honestly don’t care why it works as long as it helps me keep dancing.
Not for everyone?
Foam rolling isn’t for everyone though. Some of us respond poorly to tactile stimulation; e.g. you do not respond well to touch therapy. You recoil from massage work; don’t like to be touched or manually manipulated. To quote the avid foam roller Socrates, ‘Know thyself’. If you ain’t tactile then foam rolling ain’t your jam. Keep searching- there will be something that works for you.
Hey Steve- is there anything you HATE about foam rolling?
Great question! Yes.
I hate when people foam roll their IT Band. This is a band, not a muscle. Rolling the IT band increases instability and makes knee/hip issues worse. Why does it irk me so much? Because I see people do it ALL THE TIME.
Top 3 fitness irks:
- stretching before workouts
- rolling the IT band.
- Calling any race shorter than 26.2 miles a marathon.
In sum- foam rolling is a great warm up and recovery tool for people who are tactile.
Just don’t roll your IT band.