Mobility tools such as foam rollers and self-massaging balls have grown in popularity over the last decade. Self-myofascial release is the term commonly used to describe these techniques where you roll out a tight muscle with one of these tools. This is usually prescribed as part of an exercise program that people can perform easily at home and it can certainly have some awesome benefits.

However, it seems like there is an ongoing misconception as to the effect these tools have on our bodies. There is also a great deal of confusion about when to use them and for how long. As a physiotherapist, it’s part of my job to educate people on how to use them properly but also to let people know WHY they are doing it.

Are these tools such as the foam roller breaking up scar tissue?

The first statement that I hear the most is “This is breaking up scar tissue” or “I’m breaking up the fascia”. For those who are wondering, fascias are a specific kind of tissue in our body. Fascias are mainly made of collagen, which is a protein that has an important role of support in our body. Essentially, fascias are extremely resistant structures that provide support and separate the different layers of muscles as well as organs in our bodies.

Studies such as the one by Chaudry et al. (2008) have shown that it takes an immense amount of force to be able to produce a very minimal change in the fascia. As an example, they found that it took 852 kg of force to produce a 1% change in the plantar fascia (on the ball of our feet). Our bodies are stronger than we think! This means that when we are rolling out with the foam roller, even if we have our whole body weight, we’re not breaking up scar tissue or creating any significant changes in our fascias or muscles.

Ok…that’s great, but what are the mobility tools doing then?

Current research is leaning more towards what we call a neurophysiological effect when we are using these tools such as foam rollers or Lacrosse balls on our bodies. In other words, the contact of these tools with our bodies activates receptors responsible for pain and tightness in our neurological system. It’s like if it tells them to calm down which will then decrease the neurological tone in our tissues, i.e. muscles and fascias. So, there is no real tissue alteration!

Can mobility tools increase my performance?

It seems that foam rolling and other methods of the like can increase, very temporarily, joint mobility. A systematic review by Cheatham et al. (2015) found in the International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy (IJSPT), showed that the range of motion was increased temporarily after foam rolling without having any negative outcome on muscle performance. They did not find that foam rolling before working out had any significant effects on muscle performance, however.

That being said if you find that foam rolling before a training session helps you, go for it! Know that you are not causing any damage, and it might even make you feel like you are moving better. However, nothing beats a good old warm-up that involves the main muscle groups in our body to increase body temperature. Foam rolling should not replace your warm-up, but it can be part of it. Click here to check out my blog post on How to Efficiently Warm-Up for Running.

Should I use the foam roller before or after my workout?

We already talked about using the mobility tools before the workout (please refer to the paragraph right above), but what about after? Following an intense workout, people often wonder if using these tools can reduce some of the muscle fatigue and tightness that they might feel the next day or two days later (ouch!). This unpleasant part of working out is called delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). Can we make it less unpleasant with the use of a foam roller or a Lacrosse ball?

Studies show that foam rolling could indeed reduce part of the muscle soreness felt after an intense workout. A study by Pearcy et al (2015) showed that there was a significant decrease in tenderness in the muscles after intense physical activity.

Again, I think that this is worth a try as you are not damaging anything by doing this. If you find value in foam rolling after your workouts and it makes you feel better in the next few hours or even the next day, it’s a win!

How long should I roll out for?

Ah, the dreaded question!

As with a lot of the things in the fitness and physical therapy world, there are always more studies that would need to be conducted to draw proper conclusions. Right now, there is a very wide range of ways to use these mobility tools. Time can vary anywhere from 5 seconds to 20 minutes (for real!) in some of these studies. It seems, however, that foam rolling for as little as 10 to 30 seconds can be effective as highlighted by the results in studies by Sullivan et al (2013) as well as Halperin et al (2014).

There is also the amount of pressure and the cadence (how fast) to consider when using a mobility tool such as the foam roller. This varies a lot as well throughout studies and there is no official answer for this at the moment.

I usually recommend rolling out for about 20-30 seconds and doing 3 sets for each muscle that you are targeting. The amount of pressure will be what you can tolerate within reason. Some areas can be more sensitive than others, but this should still be somewhat tolerable. As I like to say, it should be a good pain, not an ‘‘I feel like I’m breaking’’ pain. Remember the whole point here is to get some kind of release, so if we’re digging into the muscles too hard, we will likely get the opposite reaction from them. As for the cadence, I usually recommend starting a little bit quicker and more superficially to activate the neurophysiological effect and desensitize the area. Once you feel more comfortable, you can go slower and focus on some areas that feel tighter or more tender.

I think this paints a good portrait of self-myofascial releasing overall with the information that is currently available in the research world.

Happy running!

April :)

References:

1. Chaudhry, H., Schleip, R., Ji, Z., Bukiet, B., Maney, M., & Findley, T. (2008). Three-dimensional mathematical model for deformation of human fasciae in manual therapy. The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association, 108(8), 379–390. https://doi.org/10.7556/jaoa.2008.108.8.379

2. Cheatham, S. W., Kolber, M. J., Cain, M., & Lee, M. (2015). The effects of self-myofascial release using a foam roller or roller massager on joint range of motion, muscle recovery, and performance: a systematic review. International journal of sports physical therapy, 10(6), 827–838.

3. Halperin, I., Aboodarda, S. J., Button, D. C., Andersen, L. L., & Behm, D. G. (2014). Roller massager improves range of motion of plantar flexor muscles without subsequent decreases in force parameters. International journal of sports physical therapy, 9(1), 92–102.

4. Pearcey, G. E., Bradbury-Squires, D. J., Kawamoto, J. E., Drinkwater, E. J., Behm, D. G., & Button, D. C. (2015). Foam rolling for delayed-onset muscle soreness and recovery of dynamic performance measures. Journal of athletic training, 50(1), 5–13. https://doi.org/10.4085/1062-6050-50.1.01

5. Sullivan, K. M., Silvey, D. B., Button, D. C., & Behm, D. G. (2013). Roller-massager application to the hamstrings increases sit-and-reach range of motion within five to ten seconds without performance impairments. International journal of sports physical therapy, 8(3), 228–236.