Foam Roller

The foam roller is a cylinder of dense foam, normally 6 inches in diameter and between 1 and 3 feet long. By putting the foam roller on the floor and lying on it, you apply a portion of your body weight to the contact area between your body and the roller. The foam roller can be used on a number of muscles; for details of how to do these exercises, search for 'foam roller' on youtube.com or look at http://runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=9911

• The quads. I find the foam roller is ideal for massaging the quads. They are a large muscle group that requires a lot of pressure to get deep enough to reach Trigger Points that lie further below the surface.
• ITB and Tensor Fascia Latae. This is a classic use of the foam roller, but remember to massage high enough to reach the TFL. See Iliotibial band syndrome for more details.
• Back. The foam roller can help stretch the back, and provides some level of massage.
• Hamstrings. I find it hard to massage the hamstrings with the foam roller, as the muscle ends up being under tension. I prefer The Stick for hamstrings.
• Hip Flexors. The hip flexors are always hard to massage, and the foam roller can be used to get to parts of the hip flexor inside of the iliac (hip) crest. I prefer to use my hands for the hip flexor.
• Calves. The foam roller works for the calves, but The Stick or your own knee works better.

See Also

• Massage
• Trigger Points
• The Stick
• Thumper
• Teeter Inversion Table