I learned about foam rollers in Personal Training Training (i.e. Personal Training^2) but I was skeptical. It was nice, I guess. Then I got one and started using it. OMG, it’s indispensable, especially after a day working the legs. As much as your muscle and bone needs attention, so does your fascia.
Myo-fascial release is huge, and can make your body feel better right away. Sometimes it gets sticky in there with the facia adhering to the muscles and all, and a good rolling loosens things up. The fascia of the body is under-appreciated and doesn’t get the attention that our muscles and bones do. Some in medical science say it should be as an organ all in itself, like skin.
What Facia is Like
The fascia is a layer of connective tissue that surrounds every muscle fiber, every bone, every organ, and many sections of our body. It’s like cellophane around the organs, but then thickens at the ends to form our tendons and ligaments. It literally holds us together. If you could look just your fascia without everything else, you would look like you are made of bubble-wrap.
Like your muscles and bones, the fascia bend and conform to what you do with your body. If that includes a lot of sitting, that can mess with your posture and give you aches and pains.
Here is a good article on using one from REI.
Also, my friends at the American Council on Exercise (who certified me as a trainer) have an article on using one for home work-outs if you get bored with the whole get-the-knots-out and relax thing.
I won’t, however. Ahhhhhh!