foam roller... you my only friend!

Stefana of Light started this discussion · 8/2/2014

Ok that's not totally true:) but there are days that i wonder how I would get by without the relief i find in this thing! Especially for those darn hip flexor, oh and the tennis ball is runner up. Can't count the time I've been rolling and thinking "wow this is just magical" :) I'm assuming in def not alone in this but thought I'd share since it's such a common thought... oh the joy of body love.

52 replies

Rachel Osborne · 8/2/2014
I am simultaneously repelled and interested by all the little crunching noises when I roll about; sounds like I'm sitting on a bag of cereal.
Lydia Addams · 8/3/2014
The tennis ball and I have a not so secret love affair. 😻
Lucca Valentine · 8/3/2014
Oh, ladies if you haven't tried it I strongly suggest the golf ball for especially stubborn areas....mmmmm golfball.....
Veena · 8/3/2014
On our travels I brought 2 rollers. 5 tennis balls and there's a golf ball too! Lol must have! ✨
Stefana of Light · 8/3/2014
Yes all sizes and textures of balls are great:~) frozen is lovely too! I keep telling my husband we need some sort of track on the wall with textured balls that can be height adjusted, experienced that at PT office one day. Glorious!
Lydia Addams · 8/3/2014
Never tried a golf ball. I may have to invest in one!
Rachel Osborne · 8/3/2014
Omg golf ball in glutes is fierce! Husband found me 3pm cross- eyed with three year old rolling on my chest almost crying with that golf ball under there. Me: get him off me! I have a golf ball under my ass and I SO don't need an extra 36lb on me right now! Husband: is this a pole thing or should I be in any way concerned?
Lucca Valentine · 8/3/2014
Hahahaha omg tropicalpole that is amazing! You gotta be careful with those things sometimes too...I got a little out of control with (I think it was a lacrosse ball?? Maybe a golf ball?) to the hip and while it felt awesome at the time I must have impinged a nerve cuz the left half of my....ahem...lady bits....was numb for a week....it was horrifying!! There was a definitely a moment of "what if the feeling never comes back...?" Pudendal nerve impingement....not recommended!
Rachel Osborne · 8/3/2014
:-0
Lucca Valentine · 8/3/2014
Shoog you just sent some thoughts spinning involving Velcro...
Rachel Osborne · 8/3/2014
Do tell...
Lucca Valentine · 8/3/2014
Something like this but with balls? Velcro is pretty cheap/accessible....hang a sheet of the sticky side of the Velcro on the wall and wrap a strip of the soft side on the ball (or the around the whole ball!) attach ball to wall at desired height. Boom! Could roll the ball around too if you wanted or set dividers on places you'd want the ball to stay...kinda like how you'd do floating shelves? Or maybe have something attached the ball to stop it from rolling, like a straight edge? One set of rolling balls and one set of stationary balls? Wheels are still turning... >_
Rachel Osborne · 8/3/2014
Aha! Crafty!
I polekat I · 8/5/2014
oooh lucca i had something like that!! i was rolling my lower back and must have gone a little too low at a weird angle or something - i had a really scary nerve twinge in my hip area/down my thigh , scared the crap out of me cos i thought i had done some serious damage!!! but i love my foam roller!!! it really IS my best friend too, its never too tired to give me a massage =) feel like i need to get a few more sizes to do my forearms and neck too, i want a whole family of rollers! and looks like i need to get me some ball action too!!! =P
Stefana of Light · 8/5/2014
Hey that's a good idea Lucca! I think i need a much taller roller.... so i can lay on it vertically!!!! Love the relationship we have with our tools: )
PreppyJune · 8/7/2014
What foam rollers do y'all have that you love? I have one but feel it might now be hard enough, or I've used it too much. Looking for a sturdy one. Also do y'all have the plain ones or the ones with raised shapes?
Stefana of Light · 8/7/2014
Mine is from fred Meyer, i don't know the brand but it has a textured roller inside the big one and a smaller plastic hand held roller inside. Love! Only gripe is its not long enough, def recommended one that's almost as tall as you if you can find one.:)
blue7932 · 8/7/2014
Silly question to all of you who rave about foam rollers and tennis/golf balls: do you use them just for stiffness and injury, or do you use them proactively to help with flexibility? And is it effective for that?
Lucca Valentine · 8/7/2014
Both! It's effective for proactive flexibility, in veenas splits videos she starts each segment out with foam rolling. Foam rolling can be helpful to keep your muscle and connective tissue loose which prevents injuries. I've heard it referred to as "pre-hab"
Stefana of Light · 8/8/2014
Both :) yes, it is one of the only way i find relief for tightness in my back and leg, besides a hot bath. The roller is my anytime guy, Huge fan. Oh a tennis ball to the forearm, pecs or top of thigh, oh my!!!
stargazermomma3665 · 8/8/2014
Here is a little tennis ball trick I just figured out, take an old pair of tights, put two tennis balls into one foot, make it tight, twist it and push it back through so it is double layered, tie a knot and cut the tights. It makes the tennis balls more skin friendly and it is great for massaging around your spine. As for the roller, I use PVC, foam isn't hard enough lol But yes, I love rolling out too, I haven't used foam for three and a half years.
Kira · 8/8/2014
any tips on how to tennis ball the traps? I can't get into it with my rumble roller and at the moment I just hold a tennis ball and roll it by hand. It's where I am the tightest and it really bugs me I can't get deep into it!
Stefana of Light · 8/8/2014
The only way i can do the traps and get relief is from a tennis ball against the wall, or another human is best for that awkward spot, for me anyways. Have you tried a textured roller vertically in that spot? Those are the things i find helpful;)
Kira · 8/8/2014
shoogs - yeah I've tried the roller vertically but still doesn't quiiiite get it. I'll try the tennis ball against the wall though, thanks!
Veena · 8/8/2014
A tennis ball against the pecs on the wall feels great too!

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