Recovery 101-Who should, Why, How & When it is best

Foam rolling-It hurts-so-good muscle recovery. Either you love or hate it. No matter how you feel about it, you've probably turned to a foam roller a time or two to relieve some nagging muscle pain that just won't go away.

You may've had a Dr., Trainer, or someone else recommend you try it, but how knowledgeable are you about it?

Foam rolling is a type of soft tissue work that's more formally called myofascial release, and it can help alleviate muscle pain and tension caused by adhesions (knots) that can form between your muscle and your fascia. Often, these adhesions, called myofascial adhesion, are a large contributing factor to painful muscle knots.

Today, I am going to give you 3 reasons why it works, when and how it works, and when it DOES NOT.

#1-Why

First things first, your fascia is a layer of tissue that surrounds your muscles, separating them from your other organs. As you move, your muscles should ideally glide smoothly underneath your fascia. But, in the space between your muscle (myo) and your fascia, myofascial adhesions can form — causing the muscle to get stuck during the gliding process, leading to muscle knots.

Adhesion formation is a natural part of the muscle-building process.

Any time you're exercising, whether you're strength training or doing cardio, you're going to have a little muscle breakdown. Not only is this normal, but it's what you want to happen since it's one of the early steps in the muscle-building process. While repairing this breakdown, new collagen fibers are used to lay down new muscle. These newer collagen fibers are more disorganized and pliable than your established muscle, and their tangly nature is what can lead to the formation of myofascial adhesions.

Foam rolling works to help ensure that these newer, messier collagen fibers lay down flat and in parallel with your existing muscle — reducing the chance of myofascial adhesions forming as you build new muscle.

#2-When & How

You should use the foam roller at the following times:

Use your foam roller right after your workout — before stretching or after your warm up-(10-15 min. warmup), so that you are not rolling and strettching cold muscles, they need to be warmed up prior to rolling/stretching.

Be sure to foam roll the muscle groups you used during your workout, as well as the ones above and below these muscle groups.

Foam roll each muscle group for about 30-60seconds, making sure not to exceed two minutes on a particular muscle group. You control the pressure of your bodyweight placed on the roller. You should have just enough pressure on the roller to release the muscle.

As you're foam rolling, make sure the muscle you're targeting is extended and in a stretch.

Your pace while foam rolling matters less than making sure you're rolling through the entire muscle. Slow and controlled, with deep breaths for release of oxygen to the working muscles trying to release the adhesions.

For a more guided Foam Rolling experience, we have timeslots for Live Trainer Led Sessions in only 20 minutes increments. Just click on the link to book yours today.

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#3-Who

Who should and should not use the foam Roller.

You should use the foam roller if:

Your body feels stiff and tight, it’s a good time to use a roller.

You feel a knot or trigger point in a muscle, but you know this is not a new muscle strain, it’s a good time to use a roller.

You’re getting ready to start a physically demanding activity, such as exercising, working in the yard, playing with the kids, or carrying heavy luggage through an airport, it’s a good time to use a roller.

You’re in the middle of an activity, workday, workout, or project and a muscle knot or “creak” decides to make itself known in one of your muscles, it’s a good time to use a roller.

After a hard endeavor when your muscles are ready for a well-earned nap, it’s a good time to use a roller.

You’re getting ready for bed and you want to relax your muscles so they can recover faster and more fully while you sleep, it’s a good time to use a roller.

When you should not foam roll.

Using a roller on certain injuries or body parts can be detrimental. Some of this is common sense. Being smart with our rollers helps us avoid creating an injury or making an injury worse.

There are a few warning signs from your body that indicate you may be rolling too aggressively. These warning signs should never be ignored, DO NOT use the foam roller if you have any of these:

Intense localized pain

Intense pain extending away from the roller pressure point

Involuntary muscle spasm above, at, or below the roller pressure point

Numbness, pins and needles, burning, or shooting pain at or below the roller pressure point

An involuntary, blood-curdling scream worthy of a late-night horror movie

Chest pains, pain down your upper-left arm, severe shortness of breath, or a combination of these

Sudden rashes, hot flashes, or fever

Dizziness, changes in balance, or blurred vision

Joint catching, shifting, or locking

Any pulsing or throbbing on the muscle you are rolling.

And...

No rolling over varicous veins, joints, and tendons, or low back.

I hope you have found this information useful in guiding you to roll or not to roll that is the question.

As always, feel free to reach out with any questions, or feedback. Would love to hear from you.

Blessings, Coach Lisa-NASM CPT, CNC,CES