"Roll With It Baby..."

Anyone who works out on a regular basis probably has experience with muscle soreness. And, no matter how young or old we are, or how careful we are about form and movement, there will be times when we pull, strain, sprain or just plain overuse certain muscles.

Ice, hot tubs, and aspirin usually work to soothe, or at least, ease, minor aches and pains. But when you’re in that, “It’s not a major injury, but it’s more than aspirin will solve” stage, muscle massage seems to work best. Unfortunately, not everyone has the time or the money for a bi-weekly massage. And even though people seem to really enjoy getting a massage after a hard workout, I worry that the therapist will push too hard and hurt me even more while trying to unknot a muscle.

Of course, a professional massage every week would be ideal, but  few of us have the money or time for that. However, for quite a while now, most gyms have pieces of equipment that resemble the pool noodles that kids use to float. These foam rollers came in a variety of colors and densities, and the trainers used them to “massage” the client’s tight areas after a workout. This technique, called SMR, or self myofasial release, is a flexibility technique that relaxes muscles and allows them to work more efficiently.

Basically, tissue that is repeatedly exposed to excessive strain (lifting, pushing, pulling, running) can become dense, knotted or otherwise stuck together. This cumulative injury cycle follows a path of inflammation, muscle spasms, and development of soft tissue adhesions that reduce the elasticity of the soft tissues and change the soft tissue structure (resulting in “knots” or “trigger points” of pain). These adhesions can cause your muscles to lose independent movement, dragging their “neighbors” along with them for every movement.


SMR focuses on alleviating the adhesions to restore optimal muscle motion and function. In SMR , the pressure of the body against a foam roller or other tool is sustained on top of the “trigger point” (muscle receptors, also called the pain site or “knot”) . As you “roll” against the trigger, the sensory receptors (called GTOs or Gogli tendon organs) “turn off” the contraction or tightness, allowing the muscle to stretch.

Using the foam roller and body weight can bring about improvements in flexibility, muscle recovery,and movement efficiency, along with pain reduction and additional benefits like:
-Breaking down muscle adhesions
-Relaxing muscles
-Improving joint range of motion
-Improving neuromuscular activity
-Improving tissue recovery and repair (reduced soreness)
-Suppressing trigger point sensitivity and pain
-Correcting muscle imbalances

-Relieving muscle soreness and joint stress

Although these techniques originated in the rehabilitative setting, SMR has gained a lot of popularity with fitness professionals over the last decade. In most gyms and clubs, foam rollers and massage balls are as common as treadmills and free weights.

They're inexpensive, easy to use, and readily accessible (Even Target and Wal-mart sell them). The roller itself is a six-inch-round, foam-celled cylinder that looks like a big pool noodle. To use it, simply put the roller on the ground and allow the weight of your body to press into the surface of the roller.

You should roll at a slow pace, building up a deliberate wave of pressure over tender areas until they become less sensitive. The pressure from the roller will produce a deep local stretch, pushing apart the gnarled tissue and relaxing over-stimulated fibers. It’s best to begin rolling muscles at their proximal (closest to the body) attachments, then work distally (away from the center) to accommodate changes in intramuscular tension
Even slightly changing positions or angles can target different areas.

SLOWLY roll the area until you find the most tender spot and hold it while relaxing the targeted area until discomfort is reduced (between 30 and 90 seconds).

After foam rolling, you should feel better -- not worse. The truth is, the more discomfort you feel when massaging your muscles with the foam roller, the more those muscles actually need to be massaged -- the discomfort is telling you where you need to focus your efforts.

You can some of these basic ways to utilize the foam roller:


Back-Cross arms to the opposite shoulder. Keep your abdominals drawn-in, and raise your hips until unsupported. Also stabilize the head in "neutral." Roll the mid-back area on the foam.

You can also use two tennis balls to massage areas strained from bending over a desk or computer like this one from IDEA Fitness:

Lie on the floor on your back with knees bent. Place a tennis ball on either side of your spine in line with the bottom of your shoulder blades. Use a large pillow to support your head so you don’t feel too much pressure from the tennis balls. Bring your arms across your chest and hug yourself. Find a sore spot and maintain pressure on it until it releases (10–15 seconds). Then move the balls to another sore spot by scooting your butt and body down so the balls roll up your spine. Bring the pillow with you each time you scoot. Spend about 2–3 minutes each day on the entire area.


Quadriceps-Position your body prone with the quadriceps on foam roller. Maintain proper core control (with your abdominals drawn-In and glutes tight) to prevent low back pain. Roll from the pelvic bone to the knee, emphasizing the thigh.


Hamstring-Place hamstrings on the roll with hips unsupported. Cross your feet to increase leverage. Roll from your knee toward the back of your hip while keeping quadriceps tightened.


Foot-place the arch of the foot on the curve of the foam roller and roll back and forth across the bottom of the foot. You can put more pressure on the roller with your body weight, but be sure to have something to hold onto for balance as you roll your foot over the foam


Calf-Place your calf on the roller with your hips lifted. Again, cross your feet to increase the leverage. Roll from below your knee to below your calf and back.

When choosing a foam roller, product density is very important. If the foam is too soft, less than adequate tissue massage is applied. On the other hand, if the foam is too hard, bruising and more advanced soft-tissue trauma may occur. Usually rollers in blue/white/red are softer and those in black are firmer, and foam rollers with grids and rumble rollers have knobs that work into the muscle more deeply. I've even used tennis balls and less pliable balls to roll on my foot for the same benefits as the rollers. Over time, the foam can break down, so buying a higher quality roller is worth the investment.

I’ve found that I’ll feel the pain after rolling for a day or so, but the affected area heals much more quickly when I release the knotted muscle with SMR. So, if you just can’t seem to shake that tense area in your back or hamstrings or if you're just trying to relax a “charley horse” in your calf, give SMR a try. You’ll feel better. I promise!