8 Exercises for a full body foam roll
Chiropractor in Toronto demonstrating a quadriceps foam rolling exercise.
The importance of foam rolling
Foam rolling is a type of exercise that is focused on managing symptoms. It does so through massaging tight and tender muscles and can offer short term relief for those who are suffering from an injury. Foam rolling can also be used to increase range of motion and mobility, especially if a 'tight' muscle is the cause of restricted movement.
A 'tight' muscle does not refer to the symptom of muscle tightness, stiffness or tension, but rather to what's called a muscle contracture. This is an important definition as symptoms of muscle tension can be caused by nerves and joints instead of the muscle itself. In the case where the muscle tension symptoms are caused by your nerves or joints, foam rolling will prove to be non-beneficial. That said, if a fatigued muscle is causing muscle tension symptoms and limiting your range of motion, foam rolling can be a great addition to your regular routine. To figure out where your muscle tension is coming from it is recommended to consult a healthcare professional such as a physiotherapist, chiropractor, acupuncturist or massage therapist.
How often should you foam roll?
Foam rolling is technically a type of massage, and as such should be limited to one session for every 48 hours. This will prevent over massaging a muscle to the point of injury. Afterall, the goal isn't to crush or bruise a muscle but to release it. The main benefits from foam rolling come from the recovery period that follows this type of exercise. Typically muscles require at least 48 hour to recover from an activity, this is why foam rolling sessions should be limited to every other day.
When's the best time to foam roll?
Overall the time of day does not affect whether or not you should foam roll in the morning or in the evening. Instead, what matters are your exercise goals. If you are looking to have a more effective workout then foam rolling before your workout may be ideal. This is because foam rolling can open up your range of motion making your movements feel easier and smoother. If you are looking to gain better recovery, then foam rolling after your workout may be better. This will help to reduce muscle soreness or tension created from your workout.
Please remember that foam rolling is generally limited to one session every 48 hours, so it's generally not recommended to foam roll both before AND after your workout. Instead, try to pick either before OR after and see which one feels better week to week. This way you can optimize how you spend your time foam rolling.
Is there a technique to foam rolling
YES! To give a little more detail, there are three main ways to foam roll, they are rolling, ischemic compressions (or just compressions for short), and pin & stretch techniques. Of the three different ways to foam roll, rolling on the foam roller is the most superficial (and arguably the least effective). The constant movement on a foam roller prevents the roller from reaching deeper levels of the muscle as you are unable to relax the muscles during the movement. Being unable to relax a muscle defeats the purpose of foam rolling. While this technique may be the least effective, it may still be useful for muscles that are otherwise awkward to target using the other 2 styles of foam rolling. In this regard it can still prove to be beneficial.
Compressions on the other hand does give the muscle an opportunity to relax. Generally the foam roller is placed on a tender spot and is held there for 20-30 seconds. During this process it is important to remember to breathe and to try & relax the muscle targeted while the pressure is being held. Generally speaking the same tender spot is not targeted more than once and this is done to prevent injuring the muscle. However you can target multiple different tender spots on a muscle, targeting up to 10 different spots depending on the size of the muscle.
The pin & stretch technique will be the most tender technique of the 3. It is similar to the compressions in that the main focus is to target one tender spot at a time. This version takes it one step further by engaging the muscle to contract through movement while pressure is being held. This gets the muscle fibres to 'floss' under the pressure applied by the foam roller. You can get the muscle to do so by simply moving the joint associated with the muscle. For example, during a pin & stretch of the quadriceps, slow and gentle knee bends are completed to get the muscle to floss under the pressure applied.
Our blog post today will focus on the compression and the pin and stretch techniques to foam rolling.
Can foam rolling make me feel worse?
Similar to a deep tissue massage, myofascial release massage, or sports massage, foam rolling can lead to 1-2 days of muscle soreness, especially if your body is unaccustomed to movement or massages in general. Similar to getting delayed onset muscle soreness (a.k.a. DOMS) after a workout, soreness is usually only experienced after the first 1-2 sessions. If soreness persists for longer than 1-2 days it is recommended to book in with your physiotherapist or chiropractor for a physical assessment.
You should not foam roll if you are currently injured unless otherwise recommended by a health professional. This is because some conditions may get worse from foam rolling. Muscle strains are some of the most common injuries that may feel worse with foam rolling too early or too aggressively. While it may be beneficial during the late stages of strain recovery, foam rolling during acute stages can increase pain and limit your range of motion. To make sure foam rolling is OK for you, consult your physical therapist. To book in with a physiotherapist or chiropractor at Rehab Hero click here.
8 foam rolling exercises to add to your routine
If you're looking to add a general foam rolling routine into your lifestyle, targeting the largest muscles in the body will give you the best bang for your buck. Of course it's always recommended to get your baseline movements assessed by a professional so you can be more precise and time efficient with which specific exercises to do. For those without this type of access, targeting the muscles of the spine, hips and thighs will be a good start.
The benefits of foam rolling this region of the body is two-fold. We are targeting the thoracic erectors in addition to mobilising the joints of the spine. Thoracic spine mobility is needed for any type of physical activity involving your scapulae, shoulders, neck and lumbar spine. As the connecting piece to all of these regions, it can sometimes lead to compensations in these neighbouring areas when it isn't moving too well. Likewise it can be overworked by picking up the slack of these other regions. Either way, working on this area of the spine is one way to break this vicious cycle.
Latissimus Dorsi Active Massage
The latissimus dorsi or 'lats' is often thought of as a 'back muscle', but did you know that it is also one of your largest and strongest shoulder muscles? It's due to its sheer size that it can have a large impact on shoulder health and function. When 'tight' it can lead to limited overhead shoulder movements and shoulder pain. Foam rolling the lats is one way to open up your overhead range of motion and improve biomechanics.
When we foam roll the lower back there are two main muscle groups that we think about, the erector spinae or 'erectors', and the quadratus lumborum or 'QL'. Both of these muscles are responsible for lumbar extension and lateral flexion and therefore can limit the opposite movements when tight. Foam rolling the lumbar spine can help with reducing recovery time and DOMS after doing deadlifts.
If we're foam rolling the back of the torso, surely we could foam roll the front of our torso as well? Our core muscles are needed for almost all exercises and tension in this muscle group can sneak up on you if ignored. Tension in the abdominal muscles can cause referred pain into the mid back, low back, pelvis and hips without you feeling a thing in the abs themselves.
The glutes are some of the strongest muscles in the hip. This group refers to the gluteus medius, gluteus maximus and gluteus minimus muscles. As a group these muscles are responsible for hip extension and abduction, and when tight can cause tension on the outer part of the hip. Foam rolling this muscle group can improve your recovery following a squat, deadlift or hip thruster.
The quadriceps are a group of muscles that are responsible for knee extension. Knee extension can be found in exercises like the lunge, step up, and squat (and all of their variations). As such, tension in this muscle group can build up, especially if your exercise program is quadriceps dominant. Tightness in this muscle group can lead to tension or discomfort in the knees, and may even be related to anterior pelvic tilt and low back pain.
The hamstrings are found on the back of your thigh and are responsible for hip extension and knee flexion. Muscle contractures in this group can limit your ability to touch your toes or restrict your range of motion in exercises like the Romanian deadlift and good morning. If you've had issues with being able to touch your toes you may consider foam rolling out these muscles!
Of all the different areas to foam roll, the hip adductors may be the most tender. This is the case as most people ignore targeting this muscle group in general. The hip adductors are found on your inner thigh and are also known as groin muscles. These muscles pull your thigh towards your body's midline and therefore can limit the opposite motion when tight. Flexibility and mobility in this muscle group is needed in exercises like the sumo squat or sumo deadlift.
If you're looking for a streamlined mobility program or if you're just looking to learn more about your body, you can check in with us at our clinics in Toronto and Markham. Move effortlessly with the guidance of our physio, chiros, RMTs, and acupuncturists.
Looking for a mobility flow using a foam roller?
If you’re looking for a follow along video we’ve got one made just for you. This mobility flow focuses on the lumbar spine and lower body. Follow along with chiropractor Dr. David Song.