Foam Rolling for Muscle Recovery
Avoid knee pain during workouts
It’s very common and easy to develop knee pain and lower back injuries, especially for adults starting a new leg workout or while dancing. That doesn’t mean you should stop doing what caused the pain. You need to identify the root cause and research for a solution. If you can’t figure that out, reach out to medical experts to come out of the problem.
Today I’m going to discuss one of the best rituals to include in your pre-workout or cool-down routine if you suffer from frequent knee pain.
Foam rolling it is!
Consider Foam rolling as a cheaper alternative to a massage. Even though one can afford a message it’s not practically possible to go to a massage center or a spa all the time. Furthermore, not everyone is comfortable getting a massage from strangers at the spa. For all these reasons, you will love foam rolling. It’s is popularly used by runners to heal their sore legs. But today, I’m going to describe how anyone can use it for muscle pain recovery.
What is Foam Rolling?
It’s a technique used to reduce tightness and tension in our muscles with the help of a foam roller. A foam roller is a lightweight, cylindrical tube of compressed foam (says Wikipedia).
Foam rolling improves muscular performance and flexibility as well as alleviates muscle fatigue and soreness. Therefore foam rolling has become a popular intervention in all kinds of sports to help increase the efficiency of training and for a speedy recovery of muscles post-workout.
Foam rollers help reduce soreness/pain in the upper back, neck, calf muscles (calves), hamstrings (Hams), quadriceps (quads), gluteal muscles (or glutes; the muscles of the buttocks), etc. Below is a picture from Pinterest showing all these muscles in our body for your better understanding.
Sensitive spots (also called muscle knots) are formed in our body when you extensively stretch the muscles beyond their natural range of elasticity. Regular foam rolling increases blood flow to massage spots, flushing away the excess lactic acid stored in those areas. This helps get rid of these knots and eventually reduces the pain caused by those knots.
What are the different types of foam rollers?
In the market, we get a variety of foam rollers from soft, medium, firm to extra-firm depending on the texture of the roller.
My personal favorite is the extra firm foam roller (as in the below picture) as I have an intensive dance routine at least 3 to 4 days a week and I foam roll almost every single day irrespective of whether it’s my dance day or not. The 3D massage zones on this roller provide additional relief to overworked and strained muscle spots.
But if you are not that sore, you can opt for a medium-firm foam roller (like the one in the above picture) without any wedges.
When does foam rolling hurt the most?
If you haven't done any cool-down stretches after your workout that results in tightness of muscles. Since foam rolling does deep tissue massage, it’s expected to be painful in the beginning. But over time, you will thank yourself for doing this as the amount of relief foam rolling gives to your sore muscles is simply magical.
Who needs to foam roll on a regular basis?
For the love of foam rolling, I’m tempted to say that everyone with muscles needs to foam roll but I would say, everyone who does intensive physical activity, or constantly challenges the muscles of their body with heavy weight lifting, running, dancing, or gymnastics can be benefited from having a foam rolling routine.
Is there a step-by-step process to help beginners foam roll effectively?
Absolutely! There are several resources online but this YouTube video is my personal favorite to follow along and roll with the instructor — How to use a foam roller for recovery. I started off with this and now I experiment with different movements that help relax specific muscles. After all, you know your body and pain better than anyone else.
I got rid of my knee pain just after 3–4 days of regular foam rolling and today I’m able to dance without injuries and my foam roller plays a crucial role in making it possible. So, give foam rolling a chance to heal your pain and I hope this article helps you get awareness on foam rolling.
Disclaimer: I’m not a medical professional or someone who is specialized in physiotherapy or pain recovery. All the above information is based on my personal experience. If you are suffering from severe muscle or joint pain, please consult a doctor and get the treatment.
