What are Foam Rollers?

Foam rollers, which vary in size, can be found in the gym, carried into Pilates and yoga classes, or utilized in physical therapy sessions. Picture a rolling pin made of foam, without the handles, and that is exactly what a foam roller will look like. Athletes and yogis will use foam rollers for balance exercises or strength training, whereas physical therapists might use it for myofascial release.
Packing Material/Density
Foam rollers are traditionally made from high density foam. Because it absorbs pressure from bodyweight being rolled over it, the roller will eventually become packed into itself. The higher the density, the thicker and more packed the foam roller is, making higher-density rollers more durable. A roller is best when it is firmest, as it can exert even pressure as needed.
Foam rollers may also be made of EVA, or expanded rubber foam, which was originally used in extreme sports equipment like ski boots to cushion impact. It is more resilient than typical high density foam, and rollers made of EVA foam do not lose their firmness as quickly. Another advantage of expanded rubber foam is that the EVA foam rollers are heat resistant and water proof.
Size
Rollers can come in different lengths and varying diameters. A typical foam roller measures 36 inches long, and the difference in diameter can alter the difficulty level of certain exercises. For example, a roller with a smaller diameter of three inches would make a balance exercise easier than one with a diameter of six inches. Users will often choose increasingly larger diameters as they begin to increase intensity in their workouts.
Type
Foam rollers come in two different types- the regular roller and the half round roller. A half round roller takes a regular roller and essentially cuts it in half, so that there is one flat side and one round side. Athletic training and physical rehabilitation offices see no shortage of the half round foam roller, since these are often used to increase stability and strengthen muscles surrounding injuries. Half round rollers are also common in Pilates or yoga sessions, where users work on improving posture or increasing pose difficulties by adding a balancing challenge.
A regular foam roller can be used for these purposes, too, in addition to being utilized in massage techniques and in myofascial release.
Consistency
Foam rollers should be hard, smooth, and firm. A person should feel the same consistency all the way around the product, and the roller should have no lumps or gap in material beneath the surface. These inconsistencies will result in uneven distribution of pressure during massage or balance exercises.
Uses
As already indicated, the foam roller can be used in many different ways in a variety of physical disciplines. First time users do not typically pick up a foam roller and know how to use it; they must usually be instructed in a roller�s purpose and suggested exercises before its benefits become obvious. As a relatively inexpensive item that takes up little storage space, the roller used to be under-utilized but has lately been growing in popularity, thanks in part to popular workout brands including them in their routines.
Myofascial Release
Myofascial release is a recent growing trend among sports and fitness experts that involves massage techniques aimed at releasing unhealthy tension in the trigger points of a person�s fascia. An explanation of these terms will be helpful in demonstrating how myofascial release works.
First, fascia is like a web of interconnected tissue that surrounds muscles, joints, and bones to act as a supportive layer of protection. Although medical scientists have traditionally viewed fascia as being passive, recent theories have emerged which put forth the ability of fascia to contract and affect a person�s musculoskeletal system. The idea is that fascia which forms around trigger points�areas of muscle that a person finds painful and tense or that could be described as knotted�can become weakened or compromised by the surrounding tissue�s need to compensate for the lack of efficiency caused by the trigger point. According to some therapists, trigger points can lead to injuries such as muscle strains, muscle and ligament tears and chronic pain.
Therapists, athletic trainers, and fitness experts encourage the use of myofascial release to alleviate symptoms of pain and help heal injuries. Myofascial release can be performed with the help of a partner or by oneself, and foam rollers have traditionally been used to exert the kind of even pressure needed to reduce scar tissue and ameliorate pain symptoms.
Users can use a foam roller in several different exercises to achieve maximum myofascial release. Beginners can start by placing the roller on the ground and lying on their backs on top of it. After putting their hands behind their heads and raising their hips from the ground,users can roll the body over the foam roller, starting from the middle of the back and moving up toward the shoulders. Since scar tissue or trigger points also form relatively often in the buttocks and hamstrings region, people sit on the foam roller and raise up on their hands, then roll back and forth over the roller. During these, and any other myofascial release exercises, people should stop rolling whenever they hit a tender point and rest on it until pain decreases about three-fourths in intensity. Therapists recommend performing these techniques once a day to repair trigger points.
Balance and Strength Training
Foam rollers can also be used to improve balance and build strength. A primary way that therapists or strength and conditioning coaches do this is by utilizing the instability that a foam roller offers to create higher-intensity exercises.
Athletes recovering from injuries also take advantage of the roller to help strengthen the muscles surrounding their injuries. For example, taking a small roller and placing it under a board creates a balance board, and many athletes with injured ankles or knees will stand one-legged on the board to balance, which helps strengthen the muscles in the ankle and leg. The same exercise can also be performed with half round rollers, by placing the rounded part on the floor.
Un-injured people can also use the roller to improve stability and strength by modifying existing exercises like squats and planks. By placing a half round roller underneath the feet, users will add intensity and increase the difficulty of body weight squats. Similarly, those engaging in plank exercises will work more core muscles by placing the hands on a roller, rather than flat on the floor, and fighting to stay balanced.
Yoga and Pilates
A lot of yoga poses are similar to the exercises many fitness enthusiasts thought up for use with the foam roller. As a result, it is relatively easy to adjust poses to include a higher level of difficulty with the roller. By placing the foam roller under the elbows or hands during planks, yoga and Pilates practitioners will have to work harder to maintain their pose. Similarly, a yogi can make the Warrior pose more intense by placing a foam roller or half round roller underneath their front foot to increase stability and more specifically work their leg and hip muscles.
Occasionally, the foam rollers can double as support for certain poses. For example, when placed under the hips in a sitting pose rollers can provide added height and length. A half round roller placed under the heels in standing poses can help yogis improve their balance. Placing a roller under the lower back during a Pilates scissors exercise can work additional muscles as well.