The Benefits of Foam Rolling as Part of Your Self Care Practice
We ask a lot of our bodies. And although life can feel “short”, it’s actually quite long and if we want to remain functional and able into our 80s and 90s, then it requires taking good care of the bodies we have. Unlike car parts, we can’t simply replace things without undergoing highly impactful operations. These operations can be very helpful and have a positive effect on our health and lives but always come with a cost and usually many months of rehabilitation. Luckily, there are many preventative practices that we can implement into our daily and weekly routines that will keep your body in good working order. Foam rolling is just one of those practices. Foam rolling has many benefits but is often misunderstood as it is a relatively new practice in the grand scheme of things. Let’s talk about just a few of the benefits of foam rolling and how it can be an invaluable addition to your self care practice.
Probably the most important thing that foam rolling can do for us is act as a connection in communication between the nervous system and our bodies soft tissue structures. Right now as you read this, take a moment and turn your attention to your body and see if you can recognize where you are holding tension? Everywhere, in your whole body? Is this tension serving a purpose? Is it serving you in a positive way? When we are sitting in a chair you should be holding tension throughout your core to support yourself in an upright position, but are you also holding tension in your jaw and neck as well, or in your unknowingly clenched fist? This excessive tension you feel may be due to overuse from work, sport, hobbies or stress and may not be serving you. But how can foam rolling help us communicate with our soft tissue?
Applying pressure to the soft tissues with a foam roller or ball will help provide feedback to the nervous system through effecting sensory receptors which reside in and around all of our soft tissues. These receptors measure pressure applied to the tissues from an external source, muscle tension, muscle length, tissue stretch, joint position and discomfort just to name a few. By interacting with these receptors we can activate reflex pathways which can work to help decrease tissue tension specific to the areas we are working on. Foam rolling also helps heighten our awareness, giving us the opportunity to actively release tension in the areas in which we are holding it. If you are holding tension in your jaw but are unaware of it, can you actively release that tension? We need awareness to make change. Foam rolling gives us the opportunity to interact and communicate with our bodies which allows us increased control over it. In essence, this practice converges the mind and the body and encourages both to work together.
Another important reason for foam rolling is to help exchange fluids in the target area at a faster rate than would normally happen systemically. Applying external pressure to soft tissues compresses through the skin, fascial and muscular layers. This mechanically pushes fluid out of the directly affected area through channels between neighbouring cells, the space between the cells and though the extensive superficial capillary network of our cardiovascular system. This acts like a bike pump, compressing the tissue, moving fluid out of the area allowing the space to open back up when you release the pressure to allow new fluids to be drawn back into the area. This will push inflammation, tissue repair waste products and cells as well as deoxygenated blood out of the area allowing new repairing cells and fresh oxygenated nutrient-rich blood to flow back into the area ultimately speeding up recovery time. Inflammation in injured areas is a good thing but a buildup of inflammation is not and over time can be harmful to the surrounding tissues. One word of caution, however, is to not roll directly on acutely injured areas as you don’t want to cause further tissue damage. Rolling around next to the injured area can be quite helpful though, decreasing tension around the injured area so that you can maintain joint and tissue mobility throughout recovery, as well as opening up pathways for fluid to flow into and out of the injured area.
It is important to be mindful when you are foam rolling. Your body will tell you where you need to work as well as where you shouldn’t if you are listening. Rolling isn’t a workout that you can power through in a set amount of time. You aren’t finished until you’ve achieved what you set out to do and it can take time to encourage soft tissue to release its tension, so relax and breathe. Be in your body, focus on where you are working, pay attention to what you’re feeling underneath the foam roller or ball. The quieter and calmer you are, the more you can feel and the more effective this practice will be. This can be a learning experience if you allow it to be. The more you learn about your body and can positively interact with and effect it, the more pain-free you’ll become for years to come. It truly can give you the freedom to enjoy your life, but as much as we ask of our bodies, we also need to take the time to give back to it.
To get started with your practice, you’ll need a couple of tools. A few of our favourites are featured on the right with links on the images. And here is a short tutorial video on how to foam roll different parts of your body. Explore and enjoy!
