Skating mechanics are much different than running mechanics. Such differences change primary function involving hip musculature. Overuse, tightness, and weakness can lead to fatigue and subsequent misuse by other muscle groups having to compensate. Any single or combination of these factors can then lead to injury. Proper Soft Tissue Management can reduce these factors, subsequently helping to reduce injury. 

Foam Roller exercises are a standard component of many active people’s training routines these days for good reasons. These affordable, easy to use foam rollers can provide you with a full body massage that helps to reduce muscle pain, improve the range of motion in your joints and sometimes even enhance athletic performance. There’s a reason why foam rolling exercises and routines are so popular these days; they work! 

WHAT IS A FOAM ROLLER?

Foam Rollers come in different shapes, sizes and materials but they all generally have the same utility. The basic foam roller is a cylindrical piece of foam that is solid or hollow, very firm or soft, smooth or with knobs. Some foam rollers these days even have built-in heating/cooling mechanisms or with the ability to vibrate. The purpose of a foam roller is to apply concentrated pressure onto specific points of the body to workout knots or trigger points in the muscle. By leaving these painful knots untreated you can lose flexibility and elasticity in the muscles. 

HOW DO FOAM ROLLERS WORK?

Foam rollers enable us to perform self-myofascial release or SMR where you will massage painful knots or adhesions called trigger points. The word myofascial comes from Myo or muscle and fascia. Fascia is the connective tissue that protects and supports muscles and organs. When the fascia gets damaged there is an obstruction that dehydrates the fascia, this creates painful knots or adhesions. These knots or trigger points can be painful and restrict movement at the injured site and can even send pain to other areas of the body. The exact mechanisms of why and how foam rolling works aren’t entirely understood but the common schools of thought on the matter are:

• Foam rolling breaks up the adhesions and knots
• Foam rolling releases the fascia
• Foam rolling relaxes the nervous system

FOAM ROLLING VS STRETCHING

Foam rolling and stretching are two different activities that have similar goals: to keep your muscles healthy and pain free. When foam rolling you are applying pressure to massage adhesions that have formed in the fascia. Stretching can be split into two methods: static stretching and dynamic stretching. 

Static Stretching should be done either before or after a workout session to try to lengthen the muscle so as it recovers it doesn’t tighten up. 

Dynamic Stretching should be done before a workout. With dynamic stretching you are moving your body through a range of motion to warm up the muscles and get the blood flowing to them. Both types of stretching plus foam rolling are beneficial to keeping your musculature healthy and flexible if done properly and at the right time.

FOAM ROLL BEFORE STRETCHING

You should do your foam rolling before any type of stretching if you want the optimal results. The common analogy pertaining to the question of what comes first foam rolling or stretching is the rubber band analogy. The analogy goes like this: Picture your fascia (muscle tissue) as a rubber band and there were some knots/adhesions in the middle. The muscle will only stretch from the knot/adhesion to its insertion. Not the entire length. This for-shortening will reduce the function and elasticity leading to disfunction and possible injury. The foam roller works on reducing the adhesions or knots so that you can properly lengthen the muscles by stretching.

BENEFITS OF FOAM ROLLING:

Affordable & Accessible: Foam rollers can provide a great full body self-massage if used correctly. There’s not much of a learning curve with using a foam roller properly. You need to get the foam roller and your body in the correct positions then apply pressure, that’s it. I highly recommend you have a Foam Roller in your hockey bag for travel and practice and access to another where your train.

Improve Joint Range of Motion: The foam roller is thought to be effective for ROM improvements by altering the make-up of fascia, increasing blood flow due to the friction, increasing intramuscular temperature, breaking down scar tissue and altering muscle spindle length.

Enhance Athletic Performance: Pre-exercise foam rolling can be effective for short-term enhancements in flexibility. By improving Muscle Range of Motion, elasticity and overall function, foam rolling can also improve sports performance.

Reduce Muscle Pain: Foam rolling can be a saving grace to alleviate and/or reduce this muscle soreness. If you’re looking for an affordable, reliable, time efficient and easy way to speed up muscle recovery from exercise then you must start using a foam roller regularly. 

WHEN TO FOAM ROLL

Foam rolling can be beneficial both pre and post-exercise without negative consequences. The best time to foam roll is largely dependent on you as an individual and your personal experience. We tend to do both with a short session of foam rolling on the muscles that we’ll be working pre-exercise then we follow it up with a longer foam rolling session once the workout is over.

FOAM ROLLING TIPS

• Don’t hold your breath while foam rolling, you need to relax to ease muscle tension
• Roll slowly around the trigger point pain areas
• Roll in multiple directions (up/down, side to side and diagonally)
• Hold for up to 20 seconds on a trigger point or knot before continuing the rolling
• Add 5-10 minutes of foam rolling daily if possible
• Try to foam roll before and after your training sessions (especially the muscles worked)
• Expect it to be uncomfortable when rolling out a trigger point
• Stop foam rolling immediately if something feels off