Is Foam Rolling Worth The Pain?

Myofascial release focuses on reducing and easing the tension in trigger points located in muscle. Foam rolling is a myofascial release technique you can do yourself, which can help relieve muscle tightness, soreness and improve range of motion. 

Foam rolling is also believed to enhance recovery post-exercise and enhance performance during exercise. The results are similar to getting a massage, however foam rolling is now a common practice to achieve something similar at home. With foam rolling you use your bodyweight to apply pressure to the soft tissues during the rolling motion.

Foam rolling is a type of deep tissue massage where someone is trying to work out knots in tight or sore muscles, so you will experience discomfort or pain. It should be uncomfortable and sometimes it can be painful but not unbearable, and when you are done it should feel better. But does the evidence behind foam rolling indicate that it is worth the pain?

What do the research papers say?

Research studies on foam rolling are still quite limited, however research is continuing. See what the current research says below.

  1. Does foam rolling improve range of motion? Foam rolling may offer short-term benefits in increasing hip, knee and ankle range of motion without affecting muscle performance. This suggests that using a foam roller may be beneficial to improve joint flexibility as a pre-exercise warm up and cool down due to it’s short term benefits. 

  2. Does foam rolling enhance post exercise recovery and reduce delayed onset muscle soreness? Research suggests foam rolling does reduce muscle pain when completed following an intense bout of exercise. Foam rolling increases blood flow to the muscles, which supplies muscles with more oxygen, helping recovery and reducing delayed onset muscle soreness.

  3. Does foam rolling before exercise affect muscle performance? Foam rolling does not improve muscle performance during exercise. However it does not have a negative effect on muscle performance. This means that there is nothing contradicting the use of a foam roller.

So is foam rolling worth the pain?

The answer to this is that it is completely your decision. Foam rolling may give you short-term benefits of improved muscle flexibility before exercise, which may help reduce your chance of injury when it is included in a good warm up technique. Foam rolling may also reduce muscle pain when completed after exercise, however it should be used after every exercise routine to see continued benefits. Research on the benefits of foam rolling is continuing and right now a concrete answer cannot be provided. 

So if you like it, keep doing it. If you haven’t tried it, it may well be worth seeing if it’s for you.

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