Do it Right or Not at All!!
My new foam roller, advised by my chiropractor and talked about as the new cure-all for aches and pains, came without CD or booklet. So investigating all over the internet revealed some interesting facts. First of all, on YouTube, you’ll find everything from really directed rolling for certain areas, to a guy who is the fastest non-stop roller on earth! Going fast doesn’t allow your long back muscles to relax and benefit from the exercise. From personal experience, please, take it slow, and roll slow!!
When I first tried it, attempting to hit the achy spots while keeping balance, I kept doing it until I thought it was right. The next day I felt like I’d been hit by a semi. It’s the all over ‘good pain’ they talk about after a really deep tissue massage. Well, in my book, ‘good pain’ is a questionable topic! So do not over do it!
Never do your lower back, since that’s a logical place to start, but your spine isn’t protected by shoulder blades like your upper back. Lower back muscles will tighten to protect the spine from the ‘way too harsh’ pressure being exerted. The best are long, slow rolls from shoulder to bottom of the rib cage. So many connections come into this area. Instead of trying to balance and hit the knot of pain, the long rolls cover a whole area of problems. And please, never stop on a pain and press all your body weight on it which can hit a nerve or damage the tissue. Gentle does it.
For legs, it’s best not to go directly for the area of pain, since you may inflame it more. Instead, take the indirect root, and roll the largest muscles, the gluteus maximus (butt) and the large muscle that runs along the outer edge of the hip. Relaxing those areas often relaxes all the muscles running down the leg.
When you do feel a tender spot in the back, go over it with short, slow rolls for no longer than 20 seconds, and go on to another spot. Working one area for too long can create more damage. And lastly, be consistent. Work with it for a short time each day before or after exercising, to relax tight muscles, strengthen tissue, and give over all tone to the body. A self massage is a great way to love your body.
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