Foam rollers come in a range of sizes, lengths, surface textures and densities, from low density (semi-soft) to high density (extra firm).
All foam rollers are made of some type of durable synthetic plastic material. On the soft end, you will find the Polyethylene foam rollers. Standard density foam rollers are usually made of Ethylene Vinyl Acetate and firm foam rollers are typically made of Expanded Polypropylene.
Using a foam roller is a form of self-myofascial release (SMR) where you use your own bodyweight to apply pressure and heal your body from tension, inflammation, limited range of motion and chronic pain.
1. INCREASE RANGE OF MOTION IN JOINTS
Foam rolling can be effective in a number of ways to increase the range of motion in joints and flexibility. The reason for this is simple and it is the same reason why people often seek out deep tissue massage therapy, chiropractic and other forms of myofascial release.
2. DECREASE MUSCLE TENSION AND SORENESS
The journal Physiology evaluated 21 recent research studies related to using foam rolling before and after exercise. The conclusion supported by these studies is that foam rolling is an effective way to relieve muscle soreness, tension, range of motion limitations and perception of muscle pain.
Furthermore, the use of foam rollers outperformed roller massages for recovering strength after an intense workout or injury. Study results particularly support the use of foam rolling as a warmup and cool down before and after exercise or playing sports.
3. HEAL AFTER AN INJURY
Not only can foam rolling before and after workouts prevent injuries from occurring, but the use of a foam roller can also help speed along the healing process. A big part of the reason is simply that foam rolling tells the cardiovascular system where to send oxygenated, nourishing blood that can speed away toxins and promote healing.
Foam rolling also breaks up adhesions, or knots, that often form over time between the muscle and the surrounding fascia tissue. Neglected adhesions can and do get larger over time and can contribute to injuries ranging from strains and sprains to tears and even chronic disability.
Foam rolling also increases range of motion and flexibility to help your body rebound more effectively after an injury and avoid re-injury.
4. IMPROVE YOUR HEART HEALTH
One particularly surprising benefit you can gain from regular use of a foam roller is better cardiovascular and heart health! According to sports science and exercise physiology researchers, regular proper use of a foam roller can improve two significant markers for future cardiovascular disease: arterial stiffness and vascular endothelial function. Arterial stiffness is a known health measure of risk for a future cardiac event.
The research study highlighted how self-myofascial release using a foam roller improved arterial flexibility in ways similar to how regular practitioners of yoga and other flexibility-focused exercises typically have better arterial flexibility than non-practitioners.
Vascular endothelial function is a term that refers to how well the cells lining the heart and blood vessels do their job. Their most important job is to control the contraction and relaxation of the heart muscle and vessel walls.
As with arterial stiffness, the researchers found that regular proper use of a foam roller improved vascular endothelial function overall and reduced the risk of a future cardiac event along with its other known benefits. This positive impact is associated with how foam rolling can improve overall blood flow and cardiovascular activity.
5. EASE CHRONIC PAIN SYMPTOMS
The key to understanding the link between foam rolling and chronic pain is to understand what can cause chronic pain in the first place. Chronic pain may be felt in one area but originate in another area.
An example is chronic low back pain that is related to inflammation or adhesions (knots) in muscles somewhere else in the body, such as the neck or legs. In order to relieve this pain, it is necessary to treat the muscle group that is causing the pain being felt in the lower back. In this way, foam rolling works to ease chronic pain in the same basic way that physiotherapy, massage therapy, or chiropractic works.
Even as foam rolling is breaking up muscle knots, it is simultaneously sending blood flow to painful areas to help detoxify and heal localized muscle injuries.
Foam rolling is a simple, effective and economical way to achieve daily relief from chronic pain symptoms
