How Foam Rolling Helps Runners
Running can be a strenuous activity that puts strain on your muscles, leading to microtears and subsequent aches and pains. Foam rolling is one way to help reduce this soreness and promote proper recovery. It also increases flexibility, keeping muscles mobile so you can train harder.
Reduced Risk of Injury
Foam rollers, used before and after running to stretch muscles, may reduce the risk of injury because rolling releases tightness and adhesions between muscles and the surrounding fascia, which can increase flexibility during exercise. Pre-rolling also increases blood flow to the muscle so it can perform better during training, and it breaks up barrier trigger points, points on a muscle's surface where movement is hindered, to allow more efficient motion.
Foam rolling can also enhance vascular function by increasing blood flow to muscle and fascia, which helps reduce stiffness and supports healthy vascular endothelial function, useful for both warm-ups and recovery.
Increased Flexibility
If tightness makes it difficult to stretch or move your muscles, foam rolling can help. It uses friction to release tension and realign the fascia surrounding a muscle. Foam rollers come in various sizes and densities, but the key to successful rolling is to start slowly with light pressure and work up to more vigorous rolling, according to Jean-Michel Brismee, a physical therapist and director at the International Academy of Orthopedic Medicine, one to two minutes is usually enough for muscle relaxation.
Exercise often precedes or follows a foam-rolling session to warm up the body and flush blood from working muscles, which can reduce injury risk. At least one small study found it may help reduce delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) after a workout. More research is needed to fully understand the benefits, but foam rolling does appear to increase flexibility, something runners can benefit from, though the effect is short-lived, so consistency over time matters for lasting improvement.
Relieved Muscle Soreness
Foam rolling, also known as self-massage with foam cylinders, helps relieve muscle soreness after exercise and improves overall mobility so you can perform exercises more effectively. Studies have shown that foam rolling before and after exercise increases range of motion, reduces soreness, and decreases fatigue in muscles, it's best done a little every day or at least several times a week.
Some runners find that foam rolling helps them run more efficiently by relieving tension in the hips, quads, and glutes, and it may aid recovery after a long race or workout by increasing flexibility and preventing injury. Foot and ankle pain can also be alleviated with regular foam rolling, and it can help you maintain proper posture and encourage deeper breathing by relaxing the diaphragm.
Improved Performance
Foam rolling can help runners improve performance through increased flexibility, reduced muscle soreness, and quicker recovery times. According to the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), foam rolling increases range of motion and helps correct muscular imbalances caused by stress, poor posture, repetitive movement, or injury, and it can reduce DOMS, which otherwise impacts training or competition performance.
A meta-analysis evaluating the effects of pre- and post-rolling on sprint, jump, strength, and flexibility performance, as well as muscle pain, found that foam rolling significantly reduced DOMS while speeding recovery; compared with control groups, those who pre-rolled saw small acute improvements in sprint performance and flexibility along with less muscle tenderness. If you're interested in adding foam rolling to your routine, our team at Tribeca Physical Therapy, which also offers massage therapy and back pain and sciatica treatment, can help you get started.