FOAM ROLLING- WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
You've probably seen a foam roller at the gym before and you may have tried to roll around on it a few times or seen some people rolling around for a while and wondered what they were doing. What is the big deal about a piece of foam and what does it actually do?
There's a lot of questions that go along with a foam roller when it first appears in your life. How much do I actually need to use it? Am I doing this right? why does it hurt? What areas should I foam roll and not? Let's see if we can address some of those right now. Here's some of the reasons why foam rolling should be a part of your daily routine.
1. It reduces soreness and pain. Foam rolling when used in conjunction with workouts can really help reduce the amount of soreness that you get after a workout. Especially if you do some foam rolling on the area that you worked on such as glutes or quadriceps. If you hit it really hard at the the gym, this can help alleviate that second day pain. This is because foam rolling massages the fascia and helps break up the knots and adhesions that develop.
Foam rolling massages the fascia and helps break up the knots and adhesions that can develop.
2. It makes you more flexible.
You've probably heard us say that flexibility is the key to longevity - and it's true! If your muscles are flexible, you can achieve more of your goals! Maintaining flexibility through your life will help you stay healthier in the long term.
3. It prevents injuries.
When you work out hard, you put your muscles under a lot of stress. Even going to work and sitting all day causes stress on your muscles. It's crucial to take care of them and give them proper care. Most people can't afford to get a massage twice a week, but foam rolling is free and doesn't take that much time! You can even do it while you're watching your favorite show at night!
How to get started : You can foam roll most areas of your body, but the three areas you want to stay away from are your neck, knees and low back. These should never be rolled over. These are sensitive areas that cannot take the pressure of a foam roller going over the muscles. What you can work on are: upper/mid back, hamstrings, glutes, quadriceps, calves, shins and lats! Now there's definitely different forms for all of these, so do a little research or ask someone here at Trilogy Chiropractic before you start - we're happy to help!
To keep things moving and pain-free aim to foam roll about 10-20 minutes a day, and you can focus more on areas that are of concern for you if you have any. Even if you only do it a few times a week that will make a big difference. Give it a shot, what do you have to lose but some pain and stress?