Foam Rolling for Pain Relief

A foam roller is a self-myofascial tool [myo = muscle and facial = a thin casing of connective tissue that surrounds and holds every organ, blood vessel, bone, nerve fiber, and muscle in place]. The foam roller is a tool used to release tension in your muscles after a workout. Foam rolling feels like giving yourself a massage, and it can prevent muscle tightness, soreness, and inflammation. Think of it as ironing out the kinks in your muscles.  

When we say massage, depending on how many adhesions or kinks you have depends on how good or uncomfortable it feels. One thing we can promise… it keeps getting better.

Foam rolling, whether it feels good or creates a little discomfort, stimulates the nervous system to relax tension. As you roll over soft tissues, the receptors send signals to the spinal cord. The parasympathetic nervous system (relaxation system) responds by sending signals back to the muscles or tissues to relax. Foam rolling increases blood flow, aiding the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to muscles.  

Here are our favorite benefits of foam rolling:

Warms up muscles - The friction generated by rolling creates heat that warms up your muscles, fascia, and connective tissues. Warm tissues are less likely to get injured, so a pre-workout routine that includes foam rolling can lower your risk of injury, especially if you’ve been sedentary. So if you get to a session 5 to 10 minutes early, you can use our foam rollers to aid in your warm-up. 

Reduces post-exercise muscle soreness -  After all of our in-studio HIIT classes, we use the foam rolling to decrease muscle soreness, especially that achy pain that can set in 24-48 hours (DOMS- Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) after intense exercise. It enhances the circulation of oxygenated blood to depleted muscles to reduce inflammation and soreness.

Increases range of motion - Foam rolling can help your body feel more limber. As your tissues relax, the fibers move to a more elongated state. This can increase your range of motion, improve mobility, and optimize motion. So if you are working on building muscle, it will help your muscle contraction fully and effectively.

Maximizes recovery - Foam rolling increases blood flow. Because blood carries oxygen, glucose, and other nutrients that muscles need to contract and repair… this enhances the delivery of vital nutrients which can maximize function and recovery.

Reduces pain - If you have pain due to stiffness, foam rolling will help your muscles relax and decrease pain. You may feel relaxation, stress relief, and an improvement in overall mood. Many exercisers report that ending an exercise session with a gentle, full-body foam rolling routine emulates a massage and can increase feelings of overall well-being and workout satisfaction.

Wondering what type of foam roller to get? We recommend the GRID 1.0.  

Check out a short video of Priest demonstrating foam rolling here!