The Benefits of Foam Rolling

Anna Langridge, Founder of Wellbody Health & Fitness and 1FitLife provides some insights behind the benefits of foam rolling, who can do it, and how, so you can decide if it’s for you.

Foam rolling is a self-myofascial release (SMR) technique. It can be used as a performance and recovery tool that offers an effective and affordable way to achieve a deep tissue massage. Foam rolling releases muscle tightness, painful knots and stimulates blood flow to enhance performance and speed up the healing process. It can be an effective when used for warm-up, cooldown, before and after exercise.

Do you experience regular back pain and tight knots? Those of you who experience mild back pain should give foam rolling a try, you can either lie on it or gently roll the painful area.

Technique needs to be good though and you need to know which area you should roll and how, so make sure you follow a good instructional video. An instructional video I recently Directed and which was presented by Jade Coles, a Myofascial Expert can be downloaded at www.maximofitness.com

Foam rolling is generally considered safe to do if you experience muscle tightness or regularly exercise. But avoid foam rolling if you have a serious injury such as a muscle tear or break. Also avoid rolling over small joints like your knees, elbows, and ankles, which could cause you to hyperextend or damage them.

Which one should I buy? There are many different sized rollers on the market. Purchase the product that suits you, for example a compact roller is best for travelling, smooth roller for less pressure and the grid roller for more intensity.