Foam rollers have found
their ways into every gym, health club and physiotherapy room for a reason!
Fitness professionals have learnt that releasing myofascial tissue has many
benefits for the body.
Pulseroll is the
evolution of the old foam roller, with scientific evidence showing positive
effects mechanical vibration can have on fascia as well as balance, mobility
and circulation.
It’s easy to use a
vibrating foam roller anywhere you need it, being a portable and lightweight
product.
The combination of both vibrations and pressure as you roll helps to
enhance blood flow to targeted muscles and soften the tissue to improve both
performance and recovery.
The vibrating foam
roller can be used during your warm up for softening the muscle tissue, cooling
down after a workout and to massage various parts of the body.
Using the unique
combination of pressure and vibration it will help loosen your muscles, increase
blood flow and flush away lactic acid.
The vibrating foam roller is a
super-versatile piece of exercise equipment that offers many benefits similar
to a sports massage.
It can be used in the gym, home or rehabilitation clinic
to improve a person’s flexibility, balance and core muscle strength.
Through
continued use you will notice an increase range of motion and flexibility and
will increase your circulation.
Foam Rolling - Be Specific with what you want to achieve - Don't just roll everything without understanding why
Fascia is similar to a diamond shape and works like a Chinese Finger Trap. The more you try to pull your fingers out of the trap, the more it tightens. What you need to do is simply push your fingers together to loosen the trap and escape.
The Illio-Tibial Band (ITB) Syndrome is a common musculo-skeletal complaint by many athletes. Glutes and Tensor Fascia Lata (TFL) feed into the ITB. Generally speaking, Glutes get long and weak, TFL gets short and tight. There is very little specificity in rolling the entire lateral thigh. Think, what do I want to achieve? We want to release the tightness in the TFL. Which way do the fibres run?
You need to roll WITH the direction of the fibres to help lengthen the muscle, such as the TFL. You need to roll AGAINST the direction of the fibres to help tighten the muscle, such as the Glutes. So, make sure you are rolling the muscle in the right direction and you will see much better results.
At Bulletproofbodies we recommend the latest in foam roller technology the Pulse roll, which combines Vibration therapy into the Foam Roller:
A foam roller can be a very helpful device for all individuals.
It comes with advantages that make it essential in improving performance and
the general quality of life.
It reduces the
severity of injuries or the likelihood of the same when you use it to warm up.
This is because it activates your muscles and allows the blood to start pumping
through and minimizes injury chances and the severity too.
It decreases the
recovery time after exercises because it mimics deep tissue massage. It works
by improving the flow of blood carrying oxygen and nutrients to the muscles and
at the same time it aids the fast removal of toxins from the body improving the
recovery time greatly.
It eases back pain,
sore calves, runner's knee and other kinds of pain. This is thanks to the focus
on pressure points all over the body easily relieving the pain. You can use the
foam roller for all types of pains and still enjoy quick relief.
The massage roller
helps in loosening tight muscles, relieves soreness and releases muscle tension
just the same as deep massage does. You can control the intensity of the
massage using a good roller depending on your needs.
Roller Types
When it comes to the
foam roller, the market has a wide range of the same. It is of important to
know your options before making a purchase so that you can select the best
roller to serve all your needs.
EPE foam rollers
- The
rollers have a pool noodle surface finish and are relatively inexpensive
because they are basically low in quality. They, however make very good
introductory rollers so you can consider them if you are just starting with
your use of the device.
EVA foam rollers
- They
have a smooth finish and are better in quality and durability compared to their
EPE counterparts. They are also a bit expensive and offer better massage
results.
Molded foam rollers
-
These rollers are also smooth in finish and were introduced in the market
recently. They last long and offer amazing massage experiences and can be
termed as more effective than the EPE and EVA rollers.
Rumble rollers
-They
are presented in small flat square ridges and are smooth in finish and they
tend to be the most intense in the market. They have a better reach on areas
such as the shoulder and the hips making better choices.
Grid rollers
- They
have a flat square smooth surface that looks like a grid and are considered the
best rollers currently in the market. The contours offer better roll compared
to the generic brand and they are also incredibly durable.
Fitness rollers
- Most
have a honeycomb grid design and are quite effective. They are more like a
combination of rumble and grid rollers only that the ridges are much smaller.
Vibration Foam Rollers
- Pulse Roll is a revolutionary new type of Foam Roller that incorporates vibration therapy into the foam roller itself. This mean that you perceive less pain when using the Pulse roll as your as your mechano-receptors are distracted by the vibration. This is the future of Foam Rollers.
When choosing your
muscle roller design, the structure of the roller, the size and all important
features so you can select the most effective and the easiest to use.
A trigger point roller
can be very beneficial to the body and muscles. When choosing a foam roller
make sure you consider all features and the ease of use to have a pleasant
experience every time.
The most common manual
therapy for self-release is the Foam Roller which has evidence to suggest that
it increases flexibility for 10 minutes post treatment.
However, the mechanisms
by which it does this are unclear.
It is theorised that
mechanical pressure influences a state of tissue relaxation through afferent
signal input to the central nervous system via stimulation of the Golgi Reflex
Arc and other mechano-receptors.
These effects can be separated
into:
Mechanical
Neurophysiological
Possible causes
include:
• Thixotrophy
• Piezoelectricity
• Fascial adhesions
• Cellular responses
• Fluid flow
• Fascial inflammation
• Myofascial trigger points
Physiological effects:
• Increase pressure-pain threshold
• Reduce arterial stiffness
• Improve vascular endothelial function
Foam Rolling
Flexibility and range
of movement are essential for making the right “shapes” during Exercise and
Sports.
If you can’t make the
right shape, then you will compensate for the movement you are unable to
perform.
Stretching is the go to
method for increasing flexibility, but current research recommends that we don’t
static stretch in the warm up, otherwise we might loose strength.
Here is where foam
rolling is so beneficial.
Foam rolling is now
common place for both the Warm up and the Cool down phases of activity. How Long Should I Foam Roll for?
Foam rolling has been shown to have short-term effects for increasing joint motion without decreasing muscle performance.
Foam rolling between 30 seconds to 1 minute can have an effect up to 10 mins on muscle length.
Foam rolling 20 mins per day for 3 days may decrease the effect of DOMS.
The harder the roller the more the therapeutic effect
Subjects use their own body weight to lie onto the foam roller.
No standard pressure or cadence for Foam rolling has been set or recorded.
There is currently no consensus on the optimal Self-Myofascial Release intervention in terms of treatment time, pressure and cadence.
What’s the History
Behind Foam Rolling?
Jerome Robbins - 1960's Ballet
Feldenkrais method introduced Foam Rolling in 1980's
Mike Clark (Physiotherapist in the USA) - 2001in his book integrated training for the new Millennium. Now used everywhere! Vibration Foam Rollers There is now a new type of Foam Roller that combines vibration therapy within the Foam Roller itself.
