foam rollers - legit?

Is there any advantage to using rollers over using "the stick"?

Not the same wrote:

Is there any advantage to using rollers over using "the stick"?

You can sit your hamstring on a foam roller and put your bodyweight on it to get a deep massage. With 'the stick', the pressure you apply is limited by your own arm strength and the angle of application.

Thanks, Mike!

I have my black, hard, 18-inch long foam roller. I call it "The Black Man." (I do mean that as a compliment to my brothers of African/Caribbean ancestry).

The Black Man travels with me everywhere I roam, and works out the problems in my scar-tissue riddled 41-year old legs. Great stuff. Highly recommended.

I use the foam roller like the other poster said but I also use the stick to get areas that are hard to reach or if I want a "firmer" pressure. For the ITB, you might also want to look into getting "resistance bands" (you can get them at a sporting goods store--has different color strength) to strengthen/exercise the band. You can do side steps, lunges and squats with them. Foam rolling will help but you need to treat the cause too.

Not the same wrote:

Is there any advantage to using rollers over using "the stick"?

it can be used along with the long hard one to provide maximum relief. be aware of the morning after though

Not the same wrote:

Is there any advantage to using rollers over using "the stick"?

I think the stick is better for really attacking specific, localized trigger points/scar tissue, while the foam roller is only good for stretching out whole muscles, esp. generalized sore muscles.

The roller is very legit - as you get older, I would even say it is essential. I use it every day, on my calves, quads (inner, front and outer/ITB), glutes and back.

Be sure to get the black/hard roller. It will last a lifetime.

Again the FR will never be able to do what a skilled body worker will be able to do. Crushing your IT band is not therapy, its abuse...

Then why would a PT suggest using it? I would agree, having a skilled person working the area would be much better but not everyone has access to one.

Mike in HC wrote:

Not the same wrote:

Is there any advantage to using rollers over using "the stick"?

You can sit your hamstring on a foam roller and put your bodyweight on it to get a deep massage. With 'the stick', the pressure you apply is limited by your own arm strength and the angle of application.

I want to preface this by saying I actually sell the stick at expos so I'm biased towards the product. ;-) However, I do like the foam roller for ITBS.

But a year or so ago at the NYC marathon expo a lady from Finland told us she was part of a study comparing the Stick and the Foam Roller with increased flexibility on the hamstrings. The model of stick they used was the Sprinter model, (not the most rigid one). She said there was a significant difference in flexibility when using the stick over the roller. I can't recall the difference. Just something to consider.

myo-worker wrote:

Again the FR will never be able to do what a skilled body worker will be able to do. Crushing your IT band is not therapy, its abuse...

Are you offering free daily lifetime massages to everyone on this board?

My IT Band doesn't feel "crushed" when I roll on it. It used to - back in the days when I relied on cushioned shoes and deep tissue massage to keep me healthy. But now my ITB feels fine, and the black roller is excellent maintenance stretching.

Why would I offer you & everyone here free massage therapy for life....? Maybe if you got a better job you could afford a real massage/body work once a month while using the black-FR the rest of the time.

As I stated; a trained & skilled therapist will never be beaten for the quality of work desired or accomplished. I never said the FR was a total waste of time, but.. some users will beat the tar out of their legs/bodies, enough is enough.

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http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/03/health/nutrition/03fitness.html?scp=4&sq=massage&st=cse

Clearly, a massage from a trained therapist can be more effective — and relaxing — than a self-administered massage. A therapist also has a comprehensive knowledge of anatomy and can help with injuries, like muscle strains, that may not respond to self-massage.“A foam roller can’t alleviate deep trigger points the way ...an experienced thumb or knuckle can,” said Collette Glass, a sports massage therapist in Atlanta.

Someone, above, said they use the foam roller on their back? Huh? I thought the FR was used to "massage" muscles. (Yes, I know there are back muscles.) But, I wonder if it would really do anything for the back. Experiences?

Something no one commented on is WHEN they use the FR. Before running? After running?

BTW, I use the FR on my LEGS daily (post run). Then, I do static stretching using a strap (Wharton stretching). Great stuff!

But, I've never used it on my back!

H.S. Coach wrote:

Someone, above, said they use the foam roller on their back? Huh? I thought the FR was used to "massage" muscles. (Yes, I know there are back muscles.) But, I wonder if it would really do anything for the back. Experiences?...

But, I've never used it on my back!

I initially bought a foam roller to use on my upper back. I currently use the 18" black roller. It's amazing for getting out the kinks in my 43 year old neck and back. Cervical spine, thoracic spine, lumbar...if its part of your back, you can roll it. I gently roll my back, then lean into the areas that are tight. Try it, I guarantee you'll like it.

H.S. Coach wrote:

Something no one commented on is WHEN they use the FR. Before running? After running?

E) All of the above