Registered Massage Therapist
- “What is foam rolling?”
- “What is the magic behind foam rolling?
- “it foam rolling safe for everyone?”
- “how do you foam roll properly”
Team Nexus is here is answer all your questions and hope to fulfill your curiosity.
What is foam rolling?
Foam rolling is a type of “myofascial release”. Myofascial release is a technique massage therapist, chiropractors, physiotherapists and certain acupuncture who practices Tui-Na, performs on their patients to release tightness and adhesions around muscles and connecdtive tissues (Fascia).
What is the magic behind foam rolling?
Foam rolling is not very specific. When you perform foam rolling, it not only rolls out your fascia, but everything under it including your muscles, nerves, arteries, bones, etc. Foam rolling squeezes the tissues under it when it is rolled and releases it when the pressure comes off it. The tissues underneath acts like a sponge where liquid is squeezed in and out of it continuously with the foam roller. This improves blood circulation to muscles that are super tense and lack adequate blood flow. Increased blood circulation allows waste to be flushed out and nutrients to flow into the muscle, increasing rate of tissue recovery.
Foam rolling is also a good way to loosen up the fascia (connective tissues) that restricts muscle elasticity. Tight fascia can lead to many problems and can cause of ton of compensatory work in the body.
If foam rolling is done properly, it can also be used to release trigger points (small patches of contracted muscle fiber). Trigger points are created by muscle fibers that are “knotted-up”, reducing blood flow, causing patches of muscles to become anemic, leading to pain symptoms! An article on Trigger Points will be coming out soon!
Is foam rolling safe for everyone?
Foam rolling is great! I recommend it to a ton of my patients, however, not all. Some patients I recommend against it depending on what kind of conditions they come in with. For example, I would not recommend foam rolling for the following conditions:
Contraindications/precaution to foam rolling:
- Fresh injuries
- inflammation is already at its peak during the first phase of recovery from an injury. Rolling on inflammed regions can worsen the condition
- Certain stages of neuropathy
- Acute neuropathies are very painful. Rolling on an angry nerve can send someone through the roof!
- Pregnancy
- During pregnancy, the relaxin hormone is extremely high compared to the ordinary female population. Relaxin acts to relax the joints in the pelvis to prep the mother for labour. Unfortunately, Relaxin can also causes excessive mobility in all joints of the body, contributing to inflammation and pain. Implementing the foam roller on pregnant clients could aggravate their conditions if not used properly.
- Diabetes
- Some people with diabetes have peripheral neuropathy where their extremities have loss sensation due to nerve damage from increase in exposure to high glucose (sugar) levels for an extended period of time. Reduced sensation can diminish proper body feedback during foam rolling, which can lead to injuries.
- Hypertension
- Foam rolling is painful and can lead to an increase in blood pressure to a level which is dangerous to an already hypertensive individual
- Osteoporosis
- Osteoporosis is a condition in which the bones in the body becomes brittle and prone to fractures. Any bone can be affected by osteoporosis, however, the most common areas include; hip, spine, wrist, ribs, pelvis and upper arm. There is not pain with this condition until something fractures! Pressure from foam rolling may be too much for the bone to handle.
- Inflammatory phase of arthritis
- Arthritis can flare up with foam rolling if it too aggressive or is not done properly. Foam rolling should be avoid during a flare up (inflammatory phase) of arthritis.
How do I foam roll properly?
It is better to consult a professional healthcare practitioner (chiropractor, physiotherapist, massage therapist, medical doctor) first before attempting to foam roll…. especially when your conditions/injuries are not very clear. Once you are cleared of all contraindications from your healthcare practitioner, roll on below for how to foam roll properly!
- SLOW IT DOWN – fast rolling is not effective and is very tiring! Fast rolling can skip through areas without actually addressing muscle tension, can cause unnecessary bruising and damage nerve receptors! Slowing it down allows muscles to release easier.
- Roll neighbouring muscles – do not just roll out the muscle that bothers you. Muscle tension doesn’t just happen in ONE single muscle, it can be caused by their neighbours…roll them out!
- HOLD IT! – To work out trigger points, you need roll on and hold that position, sometimes for up to 20sec to do a proper release.
I hope that fulfilled your curiosity. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Team Nexus at Nexus Massage & Rehab located uptown and Yonge and Eglinton of Toronto. We will be more than happy to give you a hand!
References
Written By:
Cassandra Kong is a massage therapist at Yonge and Eglinton who enjoys providing deep tissue massage to help relieve back and neck pain in patients.
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