A foam roller is a great tool to help decrease muscle tension. If you sit, exercise a lot, or have an injury, your muscles will tighten up especially in the injured area. Tight muscles will lead to more decrease in flexibility, mobility, adhesions of muscle fibers and increase your pain.
#1 – 4-Muscle Roll
Move over on your stomach then go up on to your forearms. Prop yourself up on your toes keeping a straight line with your ankles, hips, and shoulders. Position the foam roller just above the knee then roll through up into the hip area. Return back to starting position and repeat the movement on the opposite leg.
4-Muscle Roll
Start off with 1 set of 5 repetitions on each side. Perform the exercise in a smooth controlled movement with a good stop at the end position. The intensity is moderate. The purpose of the exercise is to work on self-massaging the quad and hip in order to relax and loosen up the muscles in the hip area.
Alternative Exercise:
Sit upright on a chair and extend one leg out front. Hold the stick massager in both hands. Begin by rolling the stick massager through your quadriceps, ideally from just below your hip joint, to just above your knee joint and back. Be sure to reposition the rolling stick to target both the inner and outer part of the quad. Repeat the movement on the opposite leg.
4-Muscle Roll Using a Roller Stick
#2 – Play Your Band
Move over on your stomach then go up on to your hands. Prop yourself up on your toes keeping a straight line with your ankles, hips, and shoulders. Position the foam roller on the side of your hip, rolling just below the hip and then rolling through just above the knee. Return back to starting position and repeat the movement on the opposite leg.
Play Your Band
Start off with 1 set of 5 repetitions on each side. Perform the exercise in a smooth controlled movement with a good stop at the end position. The intensity is moderate. The purpose of the exercise is to work on self-massaging the quad and hip in order to relax and loosen up the muscles in the hip area.
Alternative Exercise:
Sit upright on a chair and extend one leg out front. Hold the stick massager in both hands. Begin by rolling the stick massager through the IT band or the outer side of the leg. Return back to starting position and repeat the movement on the opposite leg.
Play Your Band Using a Roller Stick
#3 – Pocket Roll
Sit on the foam roller on the floor with one knee bent and straighten the outer leg out in front. Targeting the gluteus maximus area, roll through the top of the hip and then all throughout the seat bone. Return back to starting position and repeat the movement on the opposite leg.
To intensify the exercise and to target the piriformis area, you can cross your leg over on top of the opposite knee. Lean on one side of your seat and go through the movement.
Pocket Roll
Start off with 1 set of 5 repetitions on each side. Perform the exercise in a smooth controlled movement with a good stop at the end position. The intensity is moderate. The purpose of the exercise is to work on self-massaging the quad and hip in order to relax and loosen up the muscles in the hip area.
Alternative Exercise:
Sit upright on a chair and roll a small ball around under your seat bone. To intensify the exercise, the more weight you put into it, the more intense the massage would be.
Pocket Roll Using a Small Ball
#4 – Back Roll
Lie on your back on the floor, with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Position the foam roller under your mid-back area and then roll through your shoulder area. Repeat the movement.
Back Roll
Start off with 1 set of 5 repetitions. Perform the exercise in a smooth controlled movement with a good stop at the end position. The intensity is moderate. The purpose of the exercise is to increase the mobility or movement in the mid back area.
#5 – Can’t Roll
Begin in an upright sitting position with your feet shoulder-width apart, maintaining good alignment with your head, shoulders, and hips. Place your hands behind your head. Arch your low back by shifting your hips forward and bringing your head back. Return back to the starting position and repeat the movement.
Can’t Roll
Start off with 1 set of 5 repetitions. Perform the exercise in a smooth controlled movement with a good stop at the end position. The intensity is moderate. The purpose of the exercise is to increase the mobility or movement in the mid back area.
Online Question:
“Does foam rolling help with trapped nerve?” – Mark Demeris
It could help with a trapped nerve but it depends where the trapped nerve is. The best situation when it comes to the trapped nerve is that you don’t want to put more pressure on it. Often times what you’re doing is working around that trapped nerve and the muscles around that trapped nerve. If we compare a foam roller and a small ball, foam roller has a big, broad surface which might not be appropriate for the trapped nerve while you can utilize a small ball and work on muscles around that trapped nerve.
Take Care,
Rick Kaselj, MS
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