Low Back Pain Foam Rollers and Their Advantages

While technological advancements are bliss and have made our life easier than ever, this easy lifestyle has taken a toll on our bodies. Since the dawn of mankind humans have been the most intelligent social animals to walk on earth, we have been continuously making advancements and inventions to help us in our daily tasks. In the past, these advancements were still of mechanical nature and required human efforts thus giving our bodies the workout it needs to properly function.

                                                                                                                                                                          Today’s innovations have made are more of an automatic nature and require minimum human efforts thus our bodies lack the workout they need to function properly. Due to the reason that most of our work is done while sitting down, lower back issues have drastically risen in the recent decades. While many exercises and stretching techniques can help, one of the most recommended, easy to use and cost-effective methods to relieve back pain and stress is to use a low back pain foam roller.

What is a foam roller?

Foam rollers are a long and cylindrical exercise device that is used for massage and fitness purposes, these foam rollers can come in different shapes, sizes and textures. These foam rollers are used to help soothe tight, sore areas and to speed up muscle recovery. This process of relieving tension ny rolling out tight muscles is also known as myofascial release.

 While they are very easy to use, there is a proper way to use them to achieve the best results. Here are a few guidelines to help you.

List of Do’s and Don’ts:

Check with your doctors before using it

While this should go without saying that any device or medicine used to relive you of pain should be used with the proper consult of a doctor, many people still choose to ignore this and choose the wrong exercises and end up hurting themselves even more. And if you’re new at using a foam roller its preferable to hire a trainer to help you show the right way to use a foam roller, once your doctor approves you for using it.

Do not roll directly on the lower back:

As there are no structure to help protect the spine from the pressure in the lower back, rolling directly on your lower back can cause more problems than relief. To benefit from a foam roller, you should start from your upper back and stop at the end of the ribcage. To relive your lower back pain, it is recommended to focus the rolling on your hips and glutes as tightness in these areas often contribute to the lower back pain.

Do make sure your posture is correct:

Using the foam roller with an improper posture can do more harm than good that is why its recommended to hire a fitness trainer to help you use it correctly.

With the right posture and right pace, low back pain foam roller can be very beneficial to relieve your body of stress and improves the speed at which muscles build up. What most people do wrong is that the spend too much time on a soft spot and 

Don’t spend too much time on tender areas.

Do make sure your posture is correct:

Because of the way you have to position your body to use the foam roller, it is important to make sure your posture and form are correct, or you could cause more harm than good. This is another reason why it can be helpful to work with a trainer or physical therapist, so that he or she can help correct your form before it does any damage.

Don’t spend too much time on tender areas:

When most people find a knot or tender area with the foam roller, their inclination is to keep working on it for a while, sometimes using their entire body weight to apply pressure to the area. This can cause nerve or tissue damage and bruising. Applying excessive pressure while you are wincing in pain won’t help you; foam rolling can be uncomfortable, but it should never be so painful that it is unbearable. Spend no more than 15-30 seconds working on a tender area.

Do slow it down:

People who use foam rollers are often tempted to roll quickly, but while it may feel good, it won’t help to alleviate the tightness in your muscles. To roll correctly, you should move no more than one inch per second. By moving slowly, you give your muscles time to adapt and relax with the pressure.

Many athletes and physical therapists praise the benefits of foam rolling in relieving muscle tension. If muscle tightness in the back is a problem for you, foam rolling may be helpful, as long as you take the time to learn the technique and do it correctly.