Is foam rolling helpful? Foam rollers have been all the rage for quite some time in the dance community. Dancers often tell me they are “rolling out” regularly but not sure why or if they’re doing it correctly. They may have seen it on social media or heard about other dancers doing it, so they figure they should too. They may have been taught to use rollers by a teacher, coach, or rehab professional for a particular issue and now they roll every body part because if it was helpful for one problem then it must be helpful for all problems. While the foam roller is a versatile tool, we need to be strategic about why, when, and how we use it. Below are a few examples (but the creative options are endless):
GOAL: to improve circulation for better muscle performance; WHEN: before class/performance
GOAL: to improve mobility/flexibility; WHEN: before class/performance
GOAL: to decrease muscle soreness; WHEN: after class/performance
GOAL: to “release” a tight IT Band; WHEN: never – a foam roller is not effective for this
GOAL: to “get rid of” muscle knots; WHEN: before specific exercises addressing why the knots are there in the first place (**the real goal is improving the function of the muscle, not "getting rid of" anything)
GOAL: to improve core stability; WHEN: after mobility exercises & before strength exercises
If you’re curious about HOW you/your dancer can use foam rollers safely or which type of foam roller is best (yes – there are different ones!), click the link below and we can chat about goals and come up with a plan for how t
o achieve them.
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