When to Use a Foam Roller

Let’s dive into some claims about foam rolling.

One of the big claims for foam rolling is decreased soreness. Studies have shown no negative effect of foam rolling (increased soreness) and found about a 2% improvement in perceived soreness. This was studied using a 10x10 back squat program and 20 minutes of foam rolling.

Some claim that it promotes blood flow. So does running, walking, squatting, biking, rowing, or just moving. You would have to foam roll crazy fast to match the amount of blood flow created by those activities.

Another claim is loosening muscles. A commonly spread idea is that it will loosen knots in your muscles. Unfortunately, it's not that simple. Let’s take someone who squats 500lbs. Their muscles and body structure have adapted to move 500lbs. A piece of foam isn’t going to do much to those muscles. But can change happen? Yes. But it won’t last long. Studies looking at improving range of motion showed that foam rolling prior to training can improve range of motion but that the improvement lasts approximately 15 minutes.

So how would I use it for myself or my clients?

To me, 20 minutes of foam rolling isn’t worth it for 2% improvement. I would rather manage the training volume and overall recovery (sleep, nutrition, etc) better. But for athletes, this could make a lot more sense. Athletes can’t control when their games are or how intense a game is. If it helps, do it.

For some people who feel restricted in movement, foam rolling could be useful. Let’s take someone who has very stiff ankles and it is restricting their squat or ability to run. Small bouts of foam rolling on the calf prior to training could provide a short-term window of improved range of motion. Next, we would use that range of motion. We would load it. Want to change your muscles? Load them. If we load that new range of motion, it will be more likely that that range becomes more permanent. So that eventually increasing range of motion could be less of a priority.

Lastly, the placebo effect is real. If you have been foam rolling, you enjoy it and are seeing results, then keep doing it. No need to change something that is working.

Shoutout to E3 Rehab for the majority of the content for this post. They have some great resources on the topic on youtube.