Foam Rollers.

[saul01]

Hi All,

After the last run left my calf muscles a bit sore and painful, I have been thinking about foam rollers.

Are they as good as they say or yet again another gimmick to make you waste your money. If anyone owns/has one what are your thoughts. Or should I look into a deep tissue massager?

Thanks

Saul.

[Ullyrunner Graduate]

No, they do work really well and generally not too pricey - certainly cheaper than a massage. A tennis ball works quite well on a small targeted area too. Plenty of videos on you tube about how to use them. Be prepared for some exquisite pain though!

[W1KSP Graduate]

Worth every penny couldn't live without mine.

[Sandraj39 Graduate]

Very useful - I have a cheap smooth one from Argos, but you can go for the bumpy type if you really want to roll deep! Got mine when I had a calf injury last year but I use it regularly to massage tired legs. Certainly not a gimmick in my humble opinion🙂.

[Jeleybelly Graduate]

I have one - didn't work for me at the time as I had torn the muscle it turned out - not really used it since - just focussed on physio exercises.. but I think they are worthwhile.

That said - the physio told me a tennis ball was just as good...

[saul01 Graduate]

Lets find a tennis ball first, see how I get on with that and then onto a foam roller if needs being.

[Rignold]

Whilst a foam roller is not the right tool for torn muscle, just as sticking plaster is not going to hep a sore throat, it is great for working large muscle groups. A tennis ball is too soft to be of any benefit at all, but a lacrosse ball is very good to pinpoint tight knot areas. If your pain issue is one very tight spot, get the lacrosse ball. If it is whole muscles, get a foam roller. Better still get both - neither is very expensive, and most mportantly get a good book or video tutorials rather than vagualey guessing at the technique.

[givman]

think they are worth the money i got one in the form of a stck and use it after each run and first thing in the morning!! helps to iron out any niggles