The foam roller

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Replies

  • tarashley13
    tarashley13 Posts: 114 Member
    Used one as part of PT rehab, and loved it. Now it's a part of my regular routine.

    Awesome.
  • tarashley13
    tarashley13 Posts: 114 Member
    Ohhhh, this is interesting! Thanks for posting.
    I sometimes use dryer machine balls on my feet (I have flat feet, so rolling on them feels really nice after high impact workouts), so I had thought of getting a foam roller to try to achieve the same on my back and hammies. I will look into buying one now :)

    Do it, do it, do it!!!
  • tarashley13
    tarashley13 Posts: 114 Member
    great. next you'll be telling me that i'm wasting my money on deep tissue massages because i don't actually feel better after and if i do, it's just a placebo effect. and then you'll probably go after the easter bunny

    Don't get my started on the benefits of deep tissue massages. AHHHHHH!! :happy:
  • tarashley13
    tarashley13 Posts: 114 Member
    I bought one and used it for a few weeks. I followed the useless video that was included, but the roller is so thick and my arms are so short that I couldn't comfortably hold myself in the positions. Curses, being short. I tried some really well-described set of moves from a site recommended on the MFP boards. I ended up with lots of bruised areas. I would rather get properly beat up by my (deep tissue) massage therapist, because she knows how to dig in to the right muscle to work a knot loose, instead of bruising the whole area. Now *that* is pain with a purpose! Not that I can afford it anymore...

    I'm short, so I understand what you are getting at.

    I have not bruised myself... maybe you were pushing too hard or something. Hmmmm...:huh:

    Maybe give it another chance. There are tons of great blogs on it.
  • CoachDreesTraining
    CoachDreesTraining Posts: 223 Member
    Rather than arguing with you, and breaking down why foam rolling works for ITB syndrome I'll just post the first 2 Google articles I found. The goal is not to lengthen the ITB, but the fascia and muscles surrounding it.

    http://www.runnersworld.com/injury-treatment/almost-magical-foam-roller
    http://drbenkim.com/how-foam-roll-IT-band.htm

    You seriously must be joking. The first link you provided cites no sources and just throws out claims as facts to be believed on faith. It refers to the IT band as "the outside of the thigh" (wrong), it calls stretching "very beneficial" (wrong). It makes the claim, "your IT Band will loosen up" which makes no sense in the context of anatomy (PLEASE read what the IT band is, you will easily understand why it doesn't make sense to "loosen" it up).

    I'm not going to spend too much time on the second link you provided because if you can't see the absurdity on the face of it then you're beyond help. Suffice it to say that the author is a chiropractor and acupuncturist (while we're on the topic of things that have no evidence to back them up...) and HE SELLS FOAM ROLLERS. He has a stake in you wanting to use them.

    I took the time to read your links, if you would take the time I would genuinely appreciate it if you'd read just one of mine. Maybe it will change your mind, maybe not.

    http://www.thebodymechanic.ca/2012/03/17/stop-foam-rolling-your-it-band-it-can-not-lengthen-and-it-is-not-tight/
    Please feel free to click the "Greg Lehman" link at the top and check the author's credentials - he is the real deal.

    (I'd also like to point out that I Googled the author of your first article. Guess what? He also sells foam rollers. The second author sells not only foam rollers, but instructional DVDs on how to use foam rollers).

    I didn't even read the articles. The point is that every competent personal trainer, PT, chiropractor, and masseuse use release techniques. There are many ways to restore a muscle to its normal length, but foam rolling is a cheap and easy way for any person to feel/perform better.

    I would encourage YOU to research what an ITB is, and its function. Also spend some time researching autogenic inhibition.

    Foam rolling does not stretch or lengthen the muscle, or the ITB, it restore it to it's resting length. This is also known as "toning down" or reducing the density of muscles.

    If you'd like a further explanation you can PM me instead of throwing out false information on a message board for everyone to read.

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