{"id":8703,"date":"2016-04-07T17:16:37","date_gmt":"2016-04-07T17:16:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ten.co.uk\/?p=8703"},"modified":"2021-08-12T12:05:54","modified_gmt":"2021-08-12T12:05:54","slug":"learning-to-love-the-roller","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ten.co.uk\/learning-to-love-the-roller","title":{"rendered":"Learning to love the Roller"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you live in the 21st century, sit at a desk, do exercise (any kind) and have tight muscles or want to prevent build up of tension (preventing injury), you should have a foam roller – and actually use it.<\/p>\n

I incorporate the foam roller into most of my patient management programmes, and use it regularly myself to avoid injuries (I average over 1000km of cycling a month, and it\u2019s not unusual for me to spend an hour on the roller after a long ride).<\/p>\n

A foam roller is simply a round cylinder of foam that comes in different densities and lengths. Think of it like your personal masseuse.<\/p>\n

You can us it to ease tension and lengthen muscles\/joints, help improve your posture, get your upper back straighter, ease tension in your shoulders, release your glutes, ITB, TFL, calves and quads.<\/p>\n

NB Foam rolling will and should be painful. But not unbearable.<\/p>\n

\n

Here are my top 6\u00a0foam roller exercises:<\/strong><\/p>\n

1. Upper back rolling\u00a0– Eases tension between the shoulders, corrects slouching, extends upper back<\/em>
\n<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\"rolling-1a\"<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Start with roller across the shoulder blades, support head with hands, lift hips, roll from shoulder blades to base of neck and repeat x10, breathe out to roll deeper.<\/li>\n
  • Do not roll lower than shoulder blades to protect the lower back.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    \"rolling-1b\"<\/p>\n

      \n
    • Progression: extend arms above head to create more pressure & a deeper massage.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      \"rolling-1c\"<\/p>\n

        \n
      • Thoracic extension: lower hips to floor first, support head with hands. Slowly lower shoulders towards floor to extend upper back.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        \u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n

        2.\u00a0Thread the needle\/thoracic rotation\u00a0– restore mobility and stretch upper back<\/em>
        \n<\/strong><\/h3>\n

        \"rolling-2a\"<\/p>\n

          \n
        • Kneeling, place supporting hand in front of roller.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

          \"rolling-2b\"<\/p>\n

            \n
          • Place back of other hand on roller, push through the \u2018tunnel\u2019 to rotate upper back. Keep supporting arm straight and shoulder hight throughout.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

             <\/p>\n

            3.\u00a0ITB (outside of thigh – hip to knee)\u00a0–\u00a0reduces the tension created by ANY lower limb exercise<\/em>
            \n<\/strong><\/h3>\n

            \"rolling-3a\"<\/p>\n

              \n
            • Start with the roller mid thigh.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

              \"rolling-3b\"<\/p>\n

                \n
              • Use the arm to roll slowly up to the hip and back to knee.<\/li>\n
              • Continue for 2 mins.<\/li>\n
              • Regression – drop top foot to floor to reduce pressure and aid movement.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                 <\/p>\n

                4. Lateral quads\/TFL\u00a0–\u00a0the most effective exercise for reducing risk of overuse knee injuries i.e runner\u2019s knee & pressure under the kneecap<\/em>
                \n<\/strong><\/h3>\n

                \"rolling-4a\"<\/p>\n

                \"rolling-4b\"<\/p>\n

                  \n
                • Set up as for ITB but roll 20\u00b0 forwards.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                   <\/p>\n

                  5. Calf\/Achilles roll\u00a0– reduce tension and stiffness in the calves created by anything from running to stilettos<\/em>
                  \n<\/strong><\/h3>\n

                  \"rolling-5a\"<\/p>\n

                  \"rolling-5b\"<\/p>\n

                    \n
                  • Sit onto the floor, place one calf on the roller, cross the other leg over.<\/li>\n
                  • Lift hips and roll from achilles to top of calf making sure to rotate the leg to cover inside and outside of muscle\/tendon.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                     <\/p>\n

                    6.\u00a0Opening chest\/lengthening spine
                    \n<\/strong><\/h3>\n

                    \"rolling-6\"<\/p>\n

                      \n
                    • You\u2019ll need a long roller for this exercise (90 cm).<\/li>\n
                    • Sit on one end of the roller, lie back so head is supported.<\/li>\n
                    • Raise arms to 90\u00b0, elbows bent.<\/li>\n
                    • Extend arms, but keep forearms parallel to ground.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                      \u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                      Ten\u2019s Physio Director shares his reasons for using it so extensively, along with his top six roller exercises<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":51,"featured_media":8764,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,102],"tags":[58,74],"class_list":["post-8703","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","category-prehab","tag-injury-prevention","tag-physiotherapy"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nLearning to love the Roller | Ten Health & Fitness<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Foam rollers help prevent build up of tension, tight muscles & injuries. 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