Torture and the foam roller

Paul Adamson
October 22, 2017

Most of the people who come to see me in Highbury are fit – they run, cycle, swim, play sport, do yoga, hike, climb – you name it, they do it. Almost every day someone will ask me if I think foam rollers are a good idea. My answer is, Yes. And No. And I’m right both times. Foam rollers are great for stretching out contracted fascia and muscles – especially after exercise. Fascia – basically densely packed collagen fibres – is everywhere in the body and when fascia or muscle fibres become tight, they form adhesions, restricting blood supply and causing soreness, limiting range of movement and making you vulnerable to injury.

Using a foam roller on a regular basis helps stretch out the fascia but you can easily do yourself more harm than good. Going down with the full weight of your body isn’t a good idea; nor is going over an area at speed as if you were ironing a shirt (not that I can really remember how to do that…); nor is staying on one spot and trying to squash the muscle into submission.

Foam rolling is hard work and never comfortable but you can help by using a roller slowly, deepening the work gradually and avoiding areas that are painful or inflamed. Work on all the muscles of a particular area – say, the hamstrings and calves – not just one muscle (say, the biceps femoris). Take it easy, start light and build up as your body becomes accustomed to being stretched in this way.

Most important, never think that a foam roller is any substitute for a good deep tissue massage! A massage therapist can get into areas the foam roller can’t, can feel what is going on with the muscles and fascia and how different parts of the body relate, and can be much more versatile, much more powerful and altogether more effective than any foam roller you’ll ever use. 

Oh, just one more thing: foam rollers are only effective when they're used. Keeping your foam roller under the bed or in a wardrobe won't stretch anything – except possibly your imagination.

Let's dance
Get with the program
This crazy lockdown
Crunch time
The crazies
Life goes on
The beauty of scars
The Roaring Twenties
Truly, madly, deeply
Skin deep
Fat kids
Martial artist
Meet Rei Toska
Sperm alert
The spa massage
New year, new you?
The tan line
Back pain
Feeling relaxed?
How old is your heart?
Triumphing over injury
Tackling rugby
Belly watch (2)
La dolce vita
Belly watch (1)
The London marathon
In praise of slow
Open water
The iPhone and massage
The swimmer's body
Happy with yours?
Cut the fat, Santa
The pre-flight massage
Big guys
Thin people
Fat people
Massage and osteopathy
Let's dance!
The authentic voice
Killing a lobster
The way of all flesh
Lost in space
Fat but fit?
Let's do lunch
Andy Murray's hip
Stop making excuses
Brain power
And stretch...
The sandwich generation
How we see ourselves
The pain paradox
The full body massage
The limits of massage
Men and their bellies
Reading the body
The dangers of sitting