603 LIVING / HEALTH
Roll With It Foam rolling has taken off among exercisers. Should you try it? BY KAREN A. JAMROG / ILLUSTRATION BY JOHN R. GOODWIN
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he fitness industry has no shortage of devices that promise to make you leaner, stronger, more flexible, or otherwise physically enhanced. In recent years, as everyone from elite athletes to weekend warriors incorporates self-massage into their workout routine, foam rollers and similar tools have become the latest musthave exercise item. As the name implies, foam rollers are log-shaped pieces of foam. They come in a variety of lengths, densities and textures. Slide one under your legs, roll back and forth, and voilà, you’re giving yourself a self-massage, albeit one that isn’t always soothing or relaxing. Laura Jorgensen, P.T., D.P.T., a physical therapist at Dartmouth-Hitchcock, says that the mechanisms behind how foam rolling works remain somewhat hypothetical, but
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foam rolling does appear to offer benefits. For example, she says, “we have seen gains in flexibility” when foam rolling is used in combination with stretching. Foam rolling can also alleviate pain. “We don’t know exactly why,” Jorgensen says, “but it seems to help a lot of people manage some of their muscular-pain symptoms.” The friction and pressure that occur during foam rolling mimic hands-on techniques that a physical or massage therapist might use, Jorgensen says. As a result, foam-rolling proponents say, it can reduce the likelihood of injury, aid recovery, alleviate soreness, and calm and lengthen muscles, likely as it promotes blood circulation and tension release within muscle “fascia” or connective tissue that surrounds muscles. Foam rolling is typically more akin to a deep-tissue massage rather than a relaxing
massage: In some spots it feels good or hurts so good, but in other areas of body, it just plain hurts. “The amount of pressure required to break up an adhesion or to change somebody’s fascial restriction can be really uncomfortable — it can be really painful for most people,” says Cameron “C.J.” Vallie, P.T., D.P.T., A.T.C., a physical therapist at St. Joseph Hospital. However, foam-rolling pain should not persist long after you finish a foam-rolling session, he notes. In general, those new to foam rolling should start with a foam roller that is soft and easy to compress, Vallie says, graduating as comfort allows to foam rollers that are denser and harder, and perhaps textured with lumps and bumps that in theory, at least, offer enhanced benefits by creating more pressure on targeted areas.
