Can foam rolling fix your problems?

Foam rolling is the most popular form of self-myofascial release (think self-massage/release of your muscles), which is the type of myofascial release that is performed by the individual on themselves rather than by a practitioner.

Self-myofascial release causes an increase in short-term flexibility that lasts for >10 minutes but does not affect athletic performance acutely. Self-myofascial release may also be able to increase flexibility long-term, in programs of >2 weeks. (Sullivan, K.M., Silvey, D.B., Button D. C., & Behm, D. G. 2013)

The mechanism by which self-myofascial release works is unclear.

Current best evidence points towards a neurophysiological mechanism involving muscle activity for acute changes, which differs from the way in which stretching is effective. “Muscle fascia displays a thixotropic [science speak for “shake the ketchup bottle to make it liquidy”] behavior, where, when it is moved it becomes more compliant and malleable,” de Mille. So, he explains, applying pressure and moving the fascia, even microscopically, could allow the fascia, and therefore the muscles, to separate, relax, and become more flexible.

What it means for you - you do not break up any “knots”. I repeat - no knots are broken down when you foam roll.

What does foam rolling do then?

Unfortunately not even researches know what foam rolling exactly does but they’ve determined it’s a useful tool. It definitely doesn’t break up the knots and it does not improve your flexibility long term. It is a fantastic recovery tool though. It is something I recommend to all my clients, ideally in combination with another modality, to speed up their recovery.

The immediate pain relief and increase in motion seen following this are neurological and temporary in nature. If you have a chronically "tight" muscle, seek out help to find the true cause, instead of putting a band-aid on it.

When and how to foam roll:

1. Always stick to foam rolling your muscles, preferably the large muscle groups, and avoid rolling your ligaments (this includes your IT band!!)
2. Don’t foam roll your lower back - it often can lead to the musculature of the surrounding vertebrae to spam as you’re applying a lot of unwanted curvature to the area.
3. Use foam rolling to warm up if you must, increase in mobility/flexibility is temporary though. Dynamic warm up would be much better and more specific.
4. Foam rolling is an excellent recovery tool. Use it post work out to “get the blood flowing” in and out of the muscle.

At the end of the day it’s just another recovery tool so use it as such, not as the holy grail of injury prevention.

Jake Nalepa