Foam Roll Techniques

A foam roller is a cylindrical piece of hard foam that you use to release knots--trigger points--in most parts of your body. It is very inexpensive and easy to use. Basically, you are giving yourself a sort of massage--you lie down on the roller and apply pressure to muscles until the knots loosen up. The tighter the knots, the more painful they will be to release.

Significance

• Your body has fascia--a specialized connective tissue layer--that surrounds all your muscles, joints and bones. Trigger points can form in this fascia. "It has been speculated that trigger points may lead to a variety of sports injuries - from cramps to more serious muscle and tendon tears," according to Sports-Fitness-Advisor.com.

Techniques

• The following areas respond best to foam rolling: The ilio-tibial tract (IT-band) and tensor fascia latae (TFL--side of your hips), piriformis (inside your buttock), adductors (inside your thighs), hamstrings and quadriceps (thigh muscles), latissimus dorsi and rhomboids (back muscles) and pecs (chest muscles).

  IT-band and TFL: Lie sideways on the roller and support yourself with the top leg's foot. Move very slowly over the area between your hip bone and knee.

  Piriformis: Sit with one buttock on the roller. The leg of the buttock should be lifted, its foot resting on the opposite knee. Lean somewhat sideways and pull the knee toward your opposite shoulder for deeper connection. You will hardly move at all.

  Adductors: Lie on your stomach with one inside thigh on top of roller. Use your elbows to crawl forward so that the leg moves slowly over the roller. Stay away from groin area.

  Hamstrings: Sit on the roller with one leg crossed over the other. Roll the area from your buttock to your knee on the extended leg. Apply as much pressure as needed.

  Quadriceps: Lie on your stomach and apply roller over the front thigh area. Do one or both legs at a time and use as much pressure as you can endure.

  Rhomboids: Lie supine so that your mid--upper back connects with the roller, which should be horizontal. Keep your hands clasped behind your neck and head in a neutral position.. Move slowly over the upper back area.

  Pecs: Lie on your stomach, slightly on your side, and place roller under chest area. Move slowly over the pecs.

  Lats: Lie on your back, but turn sideways and place roller under your arm pit. The arm there should be extended. Roll from arm pit down close to your waist (but not too close).

Considerations

• Stay on the roller for 30 to 45 seconds when you find a trigger point. (You know you have found a knot because it will be painful as the roller connects with it.) That is generally how long it will take for the knot to loosen up. Sometimes it may not loosen up entirely, just significantly. Stay for two minutes max if necessary. Breathe slowly and try keeping your abdominals tight. Do the rolling a couple of times daily.

  There are different foam density levels available. Get a roller that is adequate for your needs. If it is too hard, you may hurt your fascia and muscles more than help them. If it is too soft, it will not do much.