Foam Roller Exercises

The foam roller is a great way to help maintain mobility and self-manage your injury between physio sessions. Take a look below at some tips on how to use the foam roller on those tight and tender areas. At first it will feel like you are using a piece of concrete to mobilise your body, but consistent use will allow those tissues to loosen out. Remember if it doesn’t hurt, you’re probably not on the right spot!!

Thoracic Spine Extension

  1. Place your hands behind your head and elbows towards the floor
  2. Ensure the foam roller starts at the base of the neck and stops just before your lower back.
    WE DO NOT WANT TO HYPEREXTEND THE LOWER BACK
  3. Push through your heels and roll up and down the foam roller, Picture yourself making a harbour bridge with your mid back over the foam roller

Thoracic Spine Flexion

  1. Fold your arms across your chest and curl your upper body up slightly
  2. Roll up and down the foam roller

Lumbar Spine

  1. Place your tail bone on the foam roller. Place your hands behind the foam roller as shown above.
  2. Perform small rolls in this area and the lower part of your back.
  3. DO NOT HYPEREXTEND THE LOWER BACK OVER THE ROLLER

Gluteals

  1. Place the foam roller in a similar position to the above
  2. In order to mobilise the right gluteal, cross the right leg over the left and dip the right knee towards the floor on the same side
  3. Roll up and down the gluteal muscles in this position
  4. Repeat to the left gluteal

Tensor Fascia Lata

  1. Ensure you are in side lying
  2. Place the foam roller on your TFL (located above the big bony prominence on the outside of your hip)
  3. Roll up and down this muscle to help reduce tension in the ITB. This technique is more effective than rolling on the ITB itself, as the latter requires tremendous force to reduce tension

Quad

  1. Lie onto your forearms, and place the foam roller just below the hip onto the quad
  2. Roll up and down the foam roller in this position
  3. Repeat to the other side

Hamstrings

  1. Place your hands behind your body as shown in the picture above
  2. Place THE EDGE of the foam roller underneath your hamstrings and slide your leg up over the foam roller

Calf/Peroneals

  1. Place your hands behind your body as shown in the picture above
  2. Place THE EDGE of the foam roller underneath your calf and slide your leg up and down the foam roller
  3. You can also rotate your shin to the left and right to target the inner calf or peroneals (muscles on outside of calf)

Tibialis Anterior

  1. Bend the leg that you wish to mobilise and place it onto the foam roller as above
  2. Run your shin up and down the foam roller

Latissimus dorsi

  1. Lie side on to the floor
  2. Place the foam roller underneath the armpit and slide up and down on this area

N.B. With all muscles ensure that you focus on the tight and tender points. Remember, the more you mobilise now, the quicker the recovery. If it doesn’t hurt you are probably not on the right areas!!!!