The foam roller will help you get rid of daily stress and muscular imbalance which is often such a part of our busy lives in the modern world.
Get Started on Your Foam Roller Workout Today
Tired of having neck and back pain? Can’t get to your therapist because of time constraints? Why not try foam rolling your pain away. The foam roller is an extraordinary tool that helps to improve flexibility, eliminates painful trigger points and muscle spasms it also helps to reduce stress and anxiety in the body and mind. These exercises are taken from my current book Ending Female Pain, A Woman’s Manual, and are also appropriate for men as well.
Exercise 1- Foam Roller Upper Back
What To Do:
1. Place foam roller on your mid-back with your hands behind your head.
2. For neck support, keep your knees bent with your feet close to the buttocks.
3. Gently roll up and down on the thoracic spine and mid-back muscles.
4. Avoid pulling and/or hyper-extending your neck.
5. Roll 1 to 2 minutes over your mid-back muscles. Focus on the painful spots and concentrate the rolling and rocking on those areas that cause you the most pain.
6. For trigger points, stay on the spots, applying consistent pressure over them for 90 seconds.
7. For muscle spasms, apply consistent pressure and do little clockwise or counterclockwise circles until pain subsides.
Exercise 2- Foam Roller Lower Back
What To Do:
1. Place the foam roller on your lower back and balance on your hands behind you. Keep your hands close to the foam roller to avoid straining your shoulders.
2. Without collapsing the chest and shoulders, gently roll up and down the lower back muscles. Remember to maintain good upright posture with the chest lifted.
3. Roll 1 to 2 minutes over your lower back muscles. Focus on the painful spots and concentrate the rolling and rocking on that area.
Exercise 3- Foam Roller Piriformis and Gluteal Muscles
What To Do:
1. Place the foam roller on the right buttock cheek with the ankle of the left foot across your right thigh.
2. Balancing on the right hand and right foot, slowly roll the gluteal and piriformis muscles from top to bottom. Keep your left arm balanced on the left knee.
3. Avoid collapsing the shoulders.
4. Roll 1 to 2 minutes over your gluteal and piriformis muscles. Focus on the painful spots and concentrate the rolling on that area.
5. Repeat on the other leg.
Medical Disclaimer
Take the time to learn to do the poses safely and correctly. Choose a well-qualified physical therapist or fitness instructor. Check with your doctor to make sure foam rolling is safe for you to try. If you ware in acute pain and would like to have a physical therapy program developed for you for your condition please give us a call at 212-213-4660.
