Roll Out! Foam rollers, sticks, balls.......

 

Sometimes the simplest inventions are the best! For us in the athletics world, the foam roller is one of them! Many of you 20 somethings know exactly what I am talking about! You may have "lived" in the athletic training room and had your favorite foam roller and for several minutes a day "rolled out". For others- you are thinking what in the world is she talking about!  In the sports medicine world- this simple invention is amazing!

 

As demonstarted in the simple pictures above- the directions are very simple- you roll out the body part with the foam roller, stick, tennis ball, etc.

So what does it do besides cause some of you some unthought of discomfort? I use the analogy of your muscle is the pizza dough and the foam roller is the rolling pin. If you think of all the knots, scar tissue, tightness in your soft tissue (muscles, tendons, ligamnets, myofascia) its pretty significant. All those soft tissue problems add up and can cause you pain and problems. Using a foam roller allows you to do self myofascial releases- in simple terms- it is a massage that gets all the knots, tightness, and scar tissue out. Common uses include the quads, hamstring, calf, IT Band but it can be used for almost any part of the body.

So incorporate the foam roller into your daily practice or workout and we promise you the benefits will be tremendous! I have a few sticks in Kathy's office and have begun introducing them to the students, feel free to stop in and I will demonstrate!