Back Pain? The Foam Roller Could be Your New Best Friend

Foam rollers are one of the best tools I’ve discovered to ease back and neck pain. They are made of dense foam, are 36” long, have a 6” diameter and cost around $30. They can be purchased at sporting goods stores or online. The white ones are softer and more comfortable for some people. The black ones are made from a denser foam and are much harder. Foam rollers are worth every penny because of the pain relief they provide.

If I were teaching you how to use the foam roller, the first thing I would have you do is to sit on one end of it long-ways and lay back so your head and neck are supported and the roller is beneath your spine. Put your arms out to your sides and roll slowly from side to side. Bend your arms and try to touch your elbows to the floor. You'll feel knots in between your shoulder blades. Now reach your arms over your head and just stretch. Next I’d have you sit on it the other direction and put your hands on the floor behind you and roll backwards and forwards, targeting your glutes, hamstrings and low back. We’d find the places where you carry your stress and discover knots you didn’t know you had. Doing this can quickly alleviate pain from tight muscles and trigger points which are the cause of most pain.

The foam roller is the next best thing to getting a deep tissue massage or a chiropractic adjustment. Spending a few minutes each day on the foam roller is extremely effective at working the knots out of your muscles, helping to align your spine and relieving tightness in soft tissues, like the IT band that runs down the side of the leg.

I like to start each day by spending some time on my foam roller. I have a mild case of scoliosis and I know the foam roller has helped me deal with the muscular tightness that goes along with it. For years I’ve had chronic neck pain, tightness and headaches. There’s no way to know for sure, but I suspect my life-long neck problems are due to the birth trauma I experienced from a forceps delivery. I was coming out sunny-side up, or face up, and the doctors grabbed my little head with the forceps and twisted me by the neck to turn me face down, the preferred delivery position. No wonder I was a colicky baby! Scoliosis can worsen with age, the spine continuing to twist and compress into an S-shape, so I’ll do whatever I can to stave off its effects.

My husband has deteriorating disks in his lower back and he uses the foam roller every day, too. His back lets out some pretty loud pops and he gets some relief from his low back pain. The foam roller won’t cure the scoliosis or deteriorating disks, but it offers relief from pain without using drugs and what more could you ask for. It also may be instrumental in preventing these conditions from worsening and feels good at the same time!

Want to know more? Check out my Foam Roller Friday classes at www.physiic.com. Let’s roll together!