Foam Rolling is an up and coming technique being utilised by athletes and clubs across the world. It involves rolling a tube across a muscle body in order to stretch the muscle and break down adhesions, similar to the effects of massage. This technique is often preferred to sports massage as it can be done nearly anywhere and requires limited equipment in comparison to massage, but its effectiveness is being questioned by professionals.

Like massage, Foam Rolling has both its pros and cons, and limited research to support the effectiveness of the technique. The first reason this technique is often criticised by professionals is because when performing this technique, the roller goes back and forth across the muscle body, whereas in massage you are taught to apply pressure when pushing towards the heart to aid lymphatic return and aid circulation. The differences in application of the techniques means it is difficult to be sure whether foam rolling does aid circulation and recovery due to not knowing which direction the blood is flowing. Another key issue with foam rolling is that it massively is reliant on the applicant’s pain threshold. When receiving a massage, the depth and amount of pressure applied is down to the therapist, however when performing foam rolling, it is completely self controlled. When the body is in pain, the automatic reaction is to stop the source of the pain. In relation to foam rolling, when rolling over a tight muscle body, the applicant will experience pain. Therefore, it is the human bodies automatic reaction to avoid this and therefore the applicant will often decrease the depth of the roller. By doing this, they are limiting the effects of the foam roller and leaving their muscles in a state similar to when they started.

Despite its criticisms, foam rolling also has many proposed benefits. Like previously mentioned, foam rolling is becoming more and more popular due to its easy accessibility. The technique requires limited space and equipment in comparison to massage and can be done nearly anywhere. Furthermore, there has been some research to support the effectiveness of the technique. In a study into the effect of foam rolling on performance, when comparing foam rolling and planking as a form of stretching, Healy et al. (2014) found that ‘’ Fatigue after foam rolling was significantly (p # 0.05) less than after the subjects performed planking’’. This challenges the argument that foam rolling does not aid circulation.

In conclusion, I believe that foam rolling is no more or less effective than massage or other techniques, and is reliant on the applicant. Both techniques have very limited evidence to support their effectiveness and therefore is down to personal preference. Both techniques have their benefits and can be utilised in a variety of ways, with both being popular in the recovery process for athletes, despite there being limited evidence to support their recovery properties.

References

Healey, K. C., Hatfield, D. L., Blanpied, P., Dorfman, L. R., & Riebe, D. (2014). The effects of myofascial release with foam rolling on performance. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 28(1), 61-68.