Get on a roll with your foam roller

Are you tired of swapping chores for leg and foot massages from your significant other? Stop right there because we have the answer for you! 

Foam rollers are a self massage tool designed to assist with myofascial release across all regions of the body. Foam rolling is a great alternative to getting a sports massage as they use your own body weight to exert pressure over specific muscle groups providing deep tissue release assisting in ironing out knotted connective tissue.

Foam rolling has many benefits including easing muscle pain, improving joint alignment, reducing post exercise recovery time, improving joint range of motion and reducing injury risk. As podiatrists, one of the main muscle groups contributing to lower limb injuries are the calves. The calf muscles comprise of two layers, six muscles and are essentially a powerhouse for lower limb and foot function. While good quality stretching will help in releasing these muscles, some lower limb conditions do not respond well if over stretched which is where foam rolling comes in. 

How to roll out your calves 

1. Sit on the ground with your legs extended out in front of you 
2. Place your foam roller underneath the bulk of your calf muscle 
3. Lift your body off the ground and slowly and repetitively roll through the muscle belly. Initially, foam rolling may be reasonably uncomfortable, to ease the pressure, use your arms to reduce the amount of body weight and offload the pressure until you become comfortable. 
4. For beginners, 10 second increments are a good starting point. Increase this up to 30-60 seconds over time. 
5. If you feel you need more pressure, cross one leg over the other to increase the weight being applied locally. 

If you are suffering from lower limb or foot pain be sure to give our friendly reception team a call on 4045 5749 to book your initial appointment.