It’s not uncommon for someone to deal with tight hips, tight shoulders, and a tight upper back. Sure, there are more areas that can be tight as well, but these are the most common areas we’ve seen. Most times it’s caused by sedentary lifestyles and jobs, which means there is less activity in your day meaning that daily movement is limited. Your body loves moving often and well, in order to help offset these achy muscles and joints you need some guidance that will benefit you. This is where the foam roller comes into action!
A foam roller is a large cylinder made of solid foam that is intended for self-myofascial release (SMR). SMR is a self-moderated massage that you do using this tool, there are many of other tools you can use such as a lacrosse ball and massage stick, each used for different and specific areas. These tools are not substitutes for a massage therapist, these are tools that aid in the recovery of your body. These tools help with promoting more blood flow to muscles, help with increasing your body’s range of motion (acutely), and overall it helps you feel better.
Foam rolling is something that will help your body heal by getting blood to the areas of restriction. Anyone can use them and they’re a great tool to have at home or in the office to help keep your body moving. The length of time on the roller can vary pending on your tolerance and available time. If you’re short on time 30-45 seconds is a good place to start, but if you have time then 60-90 seconds is an ideal amount of time.
This will feel sensitive for many people if you haven’t done this before or have had a massage before. The more you practice the more it will get better and you will start seeing daily aches go away. Now this is a tool to use to help supplement your care, if you need more work seek out a massage therapist to help you further your progress.
Here’s a link to purchase your own foam roller and the ones we use at our gym is a 36-inch-long roller.