Skip to main content

To Roll or Not To Roll



Foam Rolling. 

MIRACLE tool or just another HYPED up product? And does it matter?

There have been a lot of posts and debates on foam rolling. Many written by very compelling writers that would have you believe that foam rolling is a cure-all or completely useless.

Like most things, I fall somewhere in the middle. Rarely is anything “all or nothing”. And you should beware of overly optimistic claims from someone who is trying to sell you something. 

Will foam rolling for 5 minutes a day get rid of the pain you’ve had for 20 years? Not likely. Will foam rolling eliminate cellulite and turn back time? Nope. Will foam rolling detoxify your body? Ummmm . . . NO! If only all this were true. How easy it would be!

Foam rolling can produce transient feelings of relaxation and reduction in tissue tension and pain (just like getting a massage or taking a vacation). Foam rolling can provide a nice prop to be able to perform exercises or increase joint mobility and range of motion (just like a chair, stool, or strap). When used appropriately, foam rolling can be a great adjunct to your routine!

There is NO evidence that foam rolling has any lasting effects on fascia, flexibility, or cellulite. Studies on foam rolling are limited in their number and scope. The majority have been done on healthy athletes or otherwise active people, not on less active people or those with limited mobility or chronic pain. 

A recent analysis looked at 21 foam roller studies, both pre-rolling (before activity for warm-up) and post-rolling (after activity for recovery). The authors concluded that “pre-rolling seems to be an effective strategy for short-term improvements in flexibility”1 and that “the effects of pre-rolling on sprint performance seem to be more relevant for elite athletes, while it is possible that recreationally active individuals may not benefit substantially from pre-rolling.”1  Key words from those findings are SHORT-TERM and ELITE ATHLETES. 

The mechanisms by which foam rolling exerts its effects are not well understood. It is possible that activation of pressure receptors in the skin and fascia may stimulate the nervous system in a way that results in a modulation of perceived pain and tissue tension.2 Support for the nervous system’s role come from studies where the foam roller was used on the OPPOSITE side but pain and tension were STILL reduced in the symptomatic side.3,4 This means that if the left quadriceps was symptomatic, the right quadriceps or left hamstrings could be rolled and still result in relief. 

 This indicates that a more system-wide process was at work as opposed to specific effects on the tissues subjected to rolling. This is GREAT news! You don’t necessarily have to roll your “sore” spot to experience relief! 

Research on forces required to deform fascia seem to indicate pretty clearly that foam rolling does NOT work by breaking up adhesions or re-aligning fascia.5 Approximately 2000 POUNDS of pressure are needed to cause 1% compression and 1% shear of the iliotibial band and plantar fascia tissue. Can your foam roller do that? Mine sure can’t! As Todd Hargove put it, “Steam roller maybe. Foam roller, no.”6 

Want to learn more about the resilience and malleability of fascia? You can find a thorough analysis by Paul Ingraham here and another by Greg Lehman here. 

In summary, use a foam roller or don’t. The best indicator that it will help you may just be that you EXPECT it to.7 And, hey, better is still better. I love my foam roller! But it isn’t a magic wand and will not make lasting tissue changes. 

 What DOES make lasting changes? Movement! Strengthening! Sleep! Nutrition! Positivity!

With all of that in mind, here are 3 quick foam roll exercises that may alleviate that desk-jockey stiffness (at least TEMPORARILY). Works for me! 

Wondering which Foam Roll to get? Check out this post: What Kind of Foam Roll Should I Get?




REFERENCES

1. Wiewelhove T, Doweling A, Schneider C, et al. A meta-analysis of the effects of foam rolling on performance and recovery. Frontiers in Physiology. 2019 April 9; 10(376): 1-15. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2019.00376

2. Behm DG, Wil J. Do self-myofascial release devices release myofascia? Rolling mechanisms: A narrative review. Sports Med. 2019; 49(8): 1173-1181. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-019-01149-y

3. Cheatham SW, Kolber MJ. Does roller massage with a foam roll change pressure pain threshold of the ipsilateral lower extrem- ity antagonist and contralateral muscle groups? An exploratory study. J Sport Rehabil. 2018; 27(2): 165–9. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsr.2016-0196

4. Aboodarda SJ, Spence AJ, Button DC. Pain pressure threshold of a muscle tender spot increases following local and non-local rolling massage. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2015;16:265. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12891-015-0729-5

5. Chaudhry H, Schleip R, Ji Z, et al. Three-dimensional mathematical model for deformation of human fasciae in manual therapy. J Am Osteopath Assoc. 2008 August; 108: 379-390. Retrieved December 20, 2019 from https://jaoa.org/article.aspx?articleid=2093620

6. Hargrove T. How does foam rolling work? Better Movement Blog. https://www.bettermovement.org/blog/2013/how-does-foam-rolling-work. Published May 02, 2002. Accessed December 20, 2019.

7. Beasley MJ, Ferguson-Jones, EA, Macfarlane GJ. Treatment expectations but not preference affect outcome in a trial of CBT and exercise for pain. Canadian Journal of Pain. 2017; 1(1): 161-170. https://doi.org/10.1080/24740527.2017.1384297

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Let's Talk About SLEEP, Baby. Let's Talk About YOU and Z's!

“Human beings are the only species that will deliberately deprive themselves of sleep without legitimate gain.”  - Matthew Walker, PhD (Author of " Why We Sleep ")                                               Sleep is a big issue for many people. Some have difficulty sleeping because they are in pain. Others have difficulty quieting their mind at night. Regardless of the cause, a lack of sleep can have some pretty damaging effects. I think we all sort of have a sense that sleep matters , but perhaps not how much or why, so let's go over what some of the research says about sleep. First of all, the average adult human needs 7-9 hours of sleep each night . This does not mean you should go for 5 days with only 5 hours of sleep and then try to "catch up" on the weekend by sleeping half the day so that your average sleep is 49 hours for the week. While this may work...
Post a Comment
Read more

Should You Take Supplements?

'Sup!  Let's talk SUPPLEMENTS! I made a poll a few weeks ago in my private health group for women. Here is what they said: 70% take MULTIPLE supplements per day 20% take ONE multivitamin per day 10% have NEVER considered supplements 50% stick to ONE supplement brand 44% have received recommendations from a professional 6% wing it and buy whatever, wherever, whenever Where do YOU fall in these categories? The concept of supplements is interesting and, like EVERYTHING, whether or not you can benefit really depends on YOUR particular situation. Most of the time taking a supplement isn't going to harm you, aside from very high doses or interaction with certain medications . But there are times when it's also not going to do any good either. Generally speaking, in an ideal situation you should be able to get the majority of your nutrients from FOOD sources. If you are able to, this is a better option because, in most cases, food sources are going to be better absorbed ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Women & Diabetes: How Hormones Affect Blood Sugar

SUGAR! Oh honey, honey,  Check those HORMONES, girl... To get you feelin' more like YOU! In honor of   World Diabetes Day and Diabetes Month in both the United States   and Canada , my last post covered the basics of diabetes including risk factors, signs & symptoms, pre-diabetes, and prevention tips. You can find it here . Diabetes is a condition that affects approximately 1 out of every 9 adult women in the United States and up to 30% of women in the US have pre-diabetes. Diabetes increases the risk of other health conditions, particularly complications with pregnancy and heart disease.  While prevalence of diabetes in WOMEN is slightly less than men, they also have SPECIAL considerations related to hormonal differences and stress that can increase their risk of complications. These hormonal differences also come into play for those with hormone abnormalities, those taking hormone supplements, and transgender people. So let's talk a little more about how...
Post a Comment
Read more