Foam Rollers?

[PurpleBikeChick]

Recovering from my first (and hopefully only) IT band thing, I have found foam rolling to be incredibly helpful (was prior skeptical of husband who finds it indispensable for tennis).

Was told and can confirm that targeting the pyriformis, TFL, and gluts also is helpful. If one has large trigger points, you can feel them releasing away over time. I use a ball, hard foam and spiky roller. Arms control the amount of pressure/weight on the ball/roller to make a bearable stretch rather than significant pain. Also am back to regularly stretching all these muscles as well.

[Likes2ridefar]

I use a foam roller frequently especially after longer rides and hikes. It is fantastic for all sorts of needs.

I never heard of fascia until I had what I consider the best massage therapist/pt I’ve ever had while living in NYC. She mentioned it frequently as she tried to put humpty (me) back together again after abusing my body in sports for too long. I wish she was still local to me!

[herb5998]

myofascial release is really good, takes time to work on for sure, but as others have said, you'll get used to the discomfort. Trigger point makes some good products as well, but basic foam rollers are very useful.

For release on smaller parts, using something like a firm tennis ball works well, especially for arches/soles of feet

[.RJ]

If you think the foam roller hurts, try a softball or lacrosse ball

[Spaceman Spiff]

I used to have IT band pain. If I ran more than 20 miles in a week, my IT bands would get so tight I'd have serious pain, mostly on the outside of my knees. A couple of years ago I wanted to start running seriously again and I knew I needed to figure it out. And this is what worked for me:

Originally Posted by PurpleBikeChick

...Was told and can confirm that targeting the pyriformis, TFL, and gluts also is helpful...

Foam rolling the IT band itself was super painful. I felt like I couldn't relax into it at all, it was just pure pain. But foam rolling my pyriformis, TFL, gluts, hips - it was like magic. I found I could roll where the IT band connects to my butt/hips and it made all the difference, my IT bands and knees felt so much better.

And since then I hardly have any IT band pain. Rolling so my legs get real recovery has allowed the right muscles to get stronger. And now I hardly need to foam roll, except for after hard workouts.

I have a massage stick too. I like it for more targeted work, usually on my calves.

[Dired]

Dealing with an IT band problem can be quite the ordeal. I had one that dragged on for a couple of months, due to the IT band tightening up. It was very painful with a lot of discomfort and significantly reduced mobility. The physical therapist used a technique involving a blunt metal tool, along with some lotion to manually manipulate and stretch the band back to its normal state. To say it was not the most pleasant experience would be an understatement. If you're looking to avoid something similar, I'd highly recommend using a foam roller or considering devices like the R8.

[Dired]

Also worth mentioning that they make massage rollers that vibrate so hard that they mess with your impulses and sort of block the pain of a sore area.

[reuben]

I'm not sure what the similarities are, but I do yin yoga, which is unlike the yang yoga you'll most likely encounter. Poses (asanas) are held from 2-10 minutes. This gives stiffer tissues like fascia, tendons, and ligaments time to relax and lengthen. But this isn't like stretching your muscles, which are more elastic. There is a small immediate effect, but the big effect happens slowly, over months and years.

Maybe foam rolling is better as a more immediate help, and yin yoga is better over the long term (can help prevent tendon/ligament/fascia tightening over time). I dunno, just another thought. For the record, I do both foam rolling and yin yoga, but don't do either one as frequently as I should.

[verbs4us]

Another believer that foam rolling quads, glutes, gastrocs, hamstrings and -- if you can get in there, TFL-- does help. But for past two years have become a convert to Alexander Technique. The PT philosophy is to correct some muscular imbalance--you're overdeveloped here and underdeveloped there, and stuff hurts when it gets overused or misused because something else is too weak. Alexander Technique is about "use of self" and becoming aware of habits that lead to compression and injury, and to stop those habits be drawing mental attention to them. For example, I used to unconsciously put more weight on the balls of my feet, which led to incredibly tight gastrocs. It was painful but effective to roll then. Then, once I got into Alexander, I no longer needed to roll because my habit was gradually turned off and my weight was more evenly distributed across the length of my feet. I came to see that Alexander, for me at least, addressed the underlying cause, and PT was mainly addressing the symptoms.

[Chris(NJ)]

Been using a foam roller since about 2011. Use it every day before a workout and at a race, I'll use a stick to also run down the IT/quads/hamstrings/calf, etc.
But back in the gym, I use the hardest one available which has no cushion. I also use a lax ball on the foot/Achilles/calf/ass and hip cavity which might be the most painful area of them all.
Firm believer in it and also a huge believer that most back pain is tightness from the hips down.
Keep rolling it out. You'll learn to love it and the pain won't be as bad over time.

[redir]

Back when I was racing every week the foam roller was a godsend, that and The Stick. I don't think I could have done it without it.

I love those painful torture devices that make you feel so much better.



A litre of water an hour seems a bit much for a foam roller session though and I'm not sure I buy that it 'lubricates' it.