Foam Rollers

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Interesting Article on Foam Rollers .. especially for all you runners out there. I know a lot of people swear by them.

http://breakingmuscle.com/mobility-recovery/your-it-band-is-not-the-enemy-but-maybe-your-foam-roller-is

Replies

  • ashenriver
    ashenriver Posts: 498 Member
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    I use one,

    Ill keep using it, since it was my physiotherapist who told me to use one for a condition I have with my it band.
  • Lane1012
    Lane1012 Posts: 211 Member
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    I use one,

    Ill keep using it, since it was my physiotherapist who told me to use one for a condition I have with my it band.

    Right on. I wasn't proposing not to, just thought it was an interesting read. Do whatever works for you.
  • GetSoda
    GetSoda Posts: 1,267 Member
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    My medical professional told me to get one specifically to roll my IT band... and it cured my hip/knee problems.-- and I have strong hip abduction (probably from squatting)
  • cardbucfan
    cardbucfan Posts: 10,396 Member
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    Bump for later. I love my foam roller!
  • Lane1012
    Lane1012 Posts: 211 Member
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    Bump for later. I love my foam roller!

    I've never tried one. I've been running for 3 years now and have just never felt the need. I do have several friends that love them however and most people I see chatting about them are of the same mind. I guess that's why I found this article interesting. A different point of view.
  • cardbucfan
    cardbucfan Posts: 10,396 Member
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    Bump for later. I love my foam roller!

    I've never tried one. I've been running for 3 years now and have just never felt the need. I do have several friends that love them however and most people I see chatting about them are of the same mind. I guess that's why I found this article interesting. A different point of view.

    I'm not a runner but find it very helpful with lifting. I had a trainer who started every session with five minutes of rolling to loosen the knots.
  • 77tes
    77tes Posts: 7,905 Member
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    Wow! That article contained some really helpful info for me. Thanks for sharing it.
  • walterm852
    walterm852 Posts: 409 Member
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    Interesting Article on Foam Rollers .. especially for all you runners out there. I know a lot of people swear by them.

    http://breakingmuscle.com/mobility-recovery/your-it-band-is-not-the-enemy-but-maybe-your-foam-roller-is

    Great read, thanks for sharing
  • rduhlir
    rduhlir Posts: 3,550 Member
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    At the Grizzlies game on Saturday the PTs were rolling out every single one of the players before the game.

    You really have to take the article with a grain of salt.

    Is it possible that in rolling out your IT band that you aren't addressing the true situation? Sure. Even one of the PT at my running club's summer BBQ talked about weak gluteus medius and gluteus minimus problems...that PT also talked highly about rolling your legs out with foam rollers. So it is really all about preference and what works for people. Many PTs have had a lot of success with foam rollers, which is why they are so highly talked about. I am sure there are some PTs (including the author from the sound of his article and bio) that prefer not to use foam rollers and have found different techniques to use....kind of how medicine works anyway.
  • Lane1012
    Lane1012 Posts: 211 Member
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    At the Grizzlies game on Saturday the PTs were rolling out every single one of the players before the game.

    You really have to take the article with a grain of salt.

    Is it possible that in rolling out your IT band that you aren't addressing the true situation? Sure. Even one of the PT at my running club's summer BBQ talked about weak gluteus medius and gluteus minimus problems...that PT also talked highly about rolling your legs out with foam rollers. So it is really all about preference and what works for people. Many PTs have had a lot of success with foam rollers, which is why they are so highly talked about. I am sure there are some PTs (including the author from the sound of his article and bio) that prefer not to use foam rollers and have found different techniques to use....kind of how medicine works anyway.

    I agree completely .. I think most things should be considered before they are accepted. This article is not a bash on rollers it's speaking to how they are used for ITB problems.

    And not having used one I don't have an opinion either way but I do find it interesting reading.
  • walterm852
    walterm852 Posts: 409 Member
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    At the Grizzlies game on Saturday the PTs were rolling out every single one of the players before the game.

    You really have to take the article with a grain of salt.

    Is it possible that in rolling out your IT band that you aren't addressing the true situation? Sure. Even one of the PT at my running club's summer BBQ talked about weak gluteus medius and gluteus minimus problems...that PT also talked highly about rolling your legs out with foam rollers. So it is really all about preference and what works for people. Many PTs have had a lot of success with foam rollers, which is why they are so highly talked about. I am sure there are some PTs (including the author from the sound of his article and bio) that prefer not to use foam rollers and have found different techniques to use....kind of how medicine works anyway.

    Sorry, I think this is a great article, maybe you glanced over it to quickly?

    The author is advocate of the foam roller, he clearly articulates that in the first paragraph.

    What he is saying is in some cases it can be other things causing the soreness (so in the IT band example, if you have weak glute med, you can roll your IT band forever, but its not going to make it better IF your weak glute med is putting the work load on the IT band. So instead of "chasing the pain" and only rolling the IT band, find the root of the trouble and fix that ...strengthening the glute med.

    "understand why rolling your IT band isn’t always a good idea" - he isnt saying dont roll it, he is saying it isnt ALWAYs a good idea compared with figuring out why it is sore, and then fixing the issue.

    Currently, the most advanced PT looks at what is causing the pain/issue, not just treating the soreness. With functional movement screens, the cause of a hamstring injury could be a tight hip flexor, knee issue could be ankle mobility, and IT band could be glute med, among other issues and causes.