Foam Rolling
Foam Rollers are becoming common place in the fitness work because of their ability to help with myofascial release. Fitness enthusiasts used to rely on stretching themselves out or seeking help from a trained sports massage professional. Foam rollers can help you get a lot of the benefits that a professional massage will give you.
In the past a therapist would with a hands on technique release layers of soft tissue In the body, and after time the body will release the tissue and mobility between those sliding surfaces will be back to normal. There are many problems that can occur when your muscles and tissue are locked in place and not working properly. A good example is when someone needs a lateral release operation because their knee cap is not tracking properly or is ‘misaligned’. Surgery can be one option to release the tissue which is typically caused by the thigh muscles pulling the knee cap to the outside. But a rehab program including foam roller can prevent such surgery from being needed, which goes to show just how effective foam roller work can be.
When we exercise our muscles become tight which is why we stretch them off afterwards. But stretching alone is not enough to get rid of all the knots we have in our muscles. Using a foam roller try and roll your calf muscle out, this may be quite sore to begin with, but over time you will noticeably feel the muscle contains less tender points and foam rolling becomes a lot easier and less painful. When using a foam roller, wait until you find a tender spot and just massage either side of the tender spot with the foam roller. They really are very effective.
Below is a video showing how to foam roll the calf muscle out. Foam rollers come in different types, some are soft and fairly easy going, whilst others are hard rubber with bumps over them to increase the effect.
In the past a therapist would with a hands on technique release layers of soft tissue In the body, and after time the body will release the tissue and mobility between those sliding surfaces will be back to normal. There are many problems that can occur when your muscles and tissue are locked in place and not working properly. A good example is when someone needs a lateral release operation because their knee cap is not tracking properly or is ‘misaligned’. Surgery can be one option to release the tissue which is typically caused by the thigh muscles pulling the knee cap to the outside. But a rehab program including foam roller can prevent such surgery from being needed, which goes to show just how effective foam roller work can be.
When we exercise our muscles become tight which is why we stretch them off afterwards. But stretching alone is not enough to get rid of all the knots we have in our muscles. Using a foam roller try and roll your calf muscle out, this may be quite sore to begin with, but over time you will noticeably feel the muscle contains less tender points and foam rolling becomes a lot easier and less painful. When using a foam roller, wait until you find a tender spot and just massage either side of the tender spot with the foam roller. They really are very effective.
Below is a video showing how to foam roll the calf muscle out. Foam rollers come in different types, some are soft and fairly easy going, whilst others are hard rubber with bumps over them to increase the effect.
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The quadriceps are also a good muscle to foam roll because they get heavily used during exercise and are easily targeted. There are lots and lots of different techniques used with the foam roller for different muscle groups. The quads and the calves are just two of many muscle groups you can work on. Below is a video on Quadriceps Foam Rolling.
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