Foam rolling and pain: when does it get better?

[Laurie4b]

Was thinking fondly of the epidural I had with firstborn last night during my first full foam roller session! Yowza. I had tried it before and only got through quads, IT band and TNL before I decided I had had enough pain for the day, thank you very much. Last night I pressed on and did the whole workout. Yikes! 

 

Ashley Borden, cheerful little thing that she is, has a youtube of a whole workout so that I could watch a section and then do it.She seemed to be saying that the pain lessened over time. I sure hope so! What has your experience been? How many sessions does it take before there is just Stage 1 labor level of pain as opposed to transition labor pain?   :scared:

 

[Cricket]

My physical therapist last year said that the foam roller is very beneficial but would never feel very nice.  My ds loves it so I can only assume it doesn't hurt as badly for him.  The pain did lessen for me after a couple of weeks but I'd never say I like doing it!

[Seasider]

I thought the purpose of the foam roller was to LESSEN pain, like helping to stretch out stubborn muscles.

 

Do you feel better AFTER the workouts?

[wintermom]

I thought the purpose of the foam roller was to LESSEN pain, like helping to stretch out stubborn muscles.

 

Do you feel better AFTER the workouts?

 

:iagree:   I've never heard of a foam roller "work-out." I roll after running, playing tennis or other exercise.  When I use my roller, it's only for a few minutes like a massage on quads, hamstrings, calves and the bottom of my feet. I always feel better after the massage, though there is a certain amount of pressure while massaging. I wouldn't call it pain, though.

 

 

 

I guess there is potential to use a foam roller similar to an exercise ball, though I'm not familiar with this use. If you are feeling pain, then I would stop. With any form of exercise, you need to build up the muscle strength and your endurance gradually. Don't jump in with a 30 minute work-out if your body is not ready for this. Try doing portions of it, or doing each exercise for a much shorter period of time.

[plansrme]

I thought the purpose of the foam roller was to LESSEN pain, like helping to stretch out stubborn muscles.

 

Do you feel better AFTER the workouts?

My experience with foam rolling is that you feel better afterwards in the same way that you feel better after you stop beating yourself in the head with a hammer.

[Laurie4b]

I thought the purpose of the foam roller was to LESSEN pain, like helping to stretch out stubborn muscles.

 

Do you feel better AFTER the workouts?

 

 

My experience with foam rolling is that you feel better afterwards in the same way that you feel better after you stop beating yourself in the head with a hammer.

 

Yeah, pretty much this! haha.  

[Laurie4b]

:iagree:   I've never heard of a foam roller "work-out." I roll after running, playing tennis or other exercise.  When I use my roller, it's only for a few minutes like a massage on quads, hamstrings, calves and the bottom of my feet. I always feel better after the massage, though there is a certain amount of pressure while massaging. I wouldn't call it pain, though.

 

 

 

I guess there is potential to use a foam roller similar to an exercise ball, though I'm not familiar with this use. If you are feeling pain, then I would stop. With any form of exercise, you need to build up the muscle strength and your endurance gradually. Don't jump in with a 30 minute work-out if your body is not ready for this. Try doing portions of it, or doing each exercise for a much shorter period of time.

 

Maybe workout wasn't the right word. Roll-out? The pain is from hitting knots in muscles. Apparently, I have a lot of those. And, as per instructions, when you hit a painful spot, you're supposed to work on that for a bit. Maybe your muscles have always been more knot-free and adhesion free than mine. 

[Laurie4b]

So has anyone gone from painful-like-an-epidural-enters-your-mind to sporadically painful and you experience looser muscles etc. over the long run? 

[Ann.without.an.e]

Ok so funny that you post this...I've been wondering the same thing.  I have very tight muscles and have been trying to foam roll before and after lifting and it hurts like h#$@

 

Seriously...it doesn't get better?!?!?

[PeachyDoodle]

Well, I only have one particular trouble spot (right hip), but when it is bothering me, yeah, it hurts pretty bad to roll it out. But it does feel MUCH better once I'm done. When I first started, I had to use the roller pretty much every day, but now I only need it on occasion. So, while it the pain level is still about the same during the session, I need considerably fewer sessions nowadays (once every few weeks) and they're usually shorter as well.

 

Not sure if that's any consolation, but there's my two cents.

[thessa516]

I didn't use a foam roller, but one of those Back Buddy sticks. It took about one to two weeks, but I only worked a few areas at a time at stage 1 labor with a few hard contractions. I wasn't willing to go transitional labor. haha! I love your pain rating scale.

[rmtzc2009]

I use a foam roller like the one featured in the video.  I use it as one of my therapy tools.  For pain such as your experiencing I would be using a therapy ball with soft points to focus on the specific area of pain.  I also am not a fan of the pace featured in the workout.  Your muscles get into holding patterns over your lifetime and they don't release very quickly.  I leave the foam roller in a position 3-5 minutes before moving onto the next spot I'm working.   It's it's a really tight area it often requires longer and repeated sessions.   I have experienced that the pain eases and I see the benefits but it's with holding positions and allowing the muscles a longer release. 

[PeachyDoodle]

I use a foam roller like the one featured in the video.  I use it as one of my therapy tools.  For pain such as your experiencing I would be using a therapy ball with soft points to focus on the specific area of pain.  I also am not a fan of the pace featured in the workout.  Your muscles get into holding patterns over your lifetime and they don't release very quickly.  I leave the foam roller in a position 3-5 minutes before moving onto the next spot I'm working.   It's it's a really tight area it often requires longer and repeated sessions.   I have experienced that the pain eases and I see the benefits but it's with holding positions and allowing the muscles a longer release. 

 

I haven't seen the video, so I'm not sure about the pace there, but what you're describing sounds more like what I do. For my hip, I was taught to work on one very small section at a time, moving across the area in increments. With practice, I've learned how to feel when it's time to move to the next section, but it might take a few minutes to get there.

 

[Laurie4b]

I use a foam roller like the one featured in the video.  I use it as one of my therapy tools.  For pain such as your experiencing I would be using a therapy ball with soft points to focus on the specific area of pain.  I also am not a fan of the pace featured in the workout.  Your muscles get into holding patterns over your lifetime and they don't release very quickly.  I leave the foam roller in a position 3-5 minutes before moving onto the next spot I'm working.   It's it's a really tight area it often requires longer and repeated sessions.   I have experienced that the pain eases and I see the benefits but it's with holding positions and allowing the muscles a longer release. 

 

 

I haven't seen the video, so I'm not sure about the pace there, but what you're describing sounds more like what I do. For my hip, I was taught to work on one very small section at a time, moving across the area in increments. With practice, I've learned how to feel when it's time to move to the next section, but it might take a few minutes to get there.

 

 

The video does not set a pace. It is not a "roll along with me" video. It is a video that demonstrates technique for each type of roll while emphasizing to "do this at the pace that is right for you."   She only demonstrates one side, for instance, while saying, "You need to do this on both sides." Her advice when you come to a particularly sensitive spot is to stop at the sensitive spot, "bend and extend" the leg and then move slightly away from the sensitive spot and "bend and extend" again. During the bending and extending, of course, the muscle is contracting, getting a different level of "massage."  As far as I can tell by watching other foam rolling videos, the way Borden does it is pretty standard. 

[Hikin' Mama]

:iagree: I've never heard of a foam roller "work-out." I roll after running, playing tennis or other exercise. When I use my roller, it's only for a few minutes like a massage on quads, hamstrings, calves and the bottom of my feet. I always feel better after the massage, though there is a certain amount of pressure while massaging. I wouldn't call it pain, though.

 

 

 

I guess there is potential to use a foam roller similar to an exercise ball, though I'm not familiar with this use. If you are feeling pain, then I would stop. With any form of exercise, you need to build up the muscle strength and your endurance gradually. Don't jump in with a 30 minute work-out if your body is not ready for this. Try doing portions of it, or doing each exercise for a much shorter period of time.

This is how I use mine too. I never had an epidural during labor so I've experienced childbirth (three times) in full force, but rolling doesn't even compare to labor, at least not for me.

 

I've had sore spots that were sore when I rolled them. To answer part of your question, the sore spots are no longer painful to roll when they are no longer sore. :)

[Mrs. A]

I am just finishing  a book called The MELT Method (here's a link with some info) and the author mentions foam rolling in there. The point she makes is that for something that's supposed to be beneficial to your body it shouldn't have to hurt so much. Pain is the body's signal to stop. Not trying to dissuade anyone from foam rolling if you're sure it's a good thing for you, but just throwing it out there that if it hurts that much maybe there are other things to try.... 

[wintermom]

Maybe workout wasn't the right word. Roll-out? The pain is from hitting knots in muscles. Apparently, I have a lot of those. And, as per instructions, when you hit a painful spot, you're supposed to work on that for a bit. Maybe your muscles have always been more knot-free and adhesion free than mine. 

 

Do you have actual knots in your muscles that you can feel if you massage the muscle with your hand, or is the pain in rolling over the foam from the weight of your body pressing down on the roller? I don't use a foam roller that is thick, rather a thinner-than-rolling-pin metal ball roller with foam padding. I press down on my muscles with my hands pushing the roller, and I can control exactly the amount of pressure that feels good.  Maybe you should consider using something different, if you feel too much pain.

 

This is the type of roller I use and really enjoy:

 

[gardenmom5]

I was only using the foam roller for PT.  each time hurt a little bit less.  I have to keep doing it for PT, or the pain I'm using it to treat comes back.

 

the first few days (my chiro  had me doing it 10x per day, 30 sec. each).  I was crying after 7 seconds.  (I couldn't do 30)

[VeganCupcake]

It does get better over time, though a softer roller can help. I have one that is wickedly firm and another that is painfully firm. I want to get a slightly softer one.

[LaughingCat]

I have heard that if it is super painful, that is better to use something a bit softer to start out with -- a softer roller or softer balls.

[Shelly in IL]

For the gal with the hip ache - try sitting and rolling on a tennis ball - fresh one so its harder. It really hurts but it gets in there. I only roll on it for maybe 3-4 min but it releases something for me deep into my muscles. My weight lifting friend calls it "smashing."

[Slache]

So has anyone gone from painful-like-an-epidural-enters-your-mind to sporadically painful and you experience looser muscles etc. over the long run?

Yes. It also feels better after a hard work out like lifting or running, but much more painful after yoga. I don't understand why, but that's just how it goes for me. I think it took 2 or 3 weeks before I really started to enjoy it, but now I love it.

[Liz CA]

While I roll, I often feel sore spots/pain but hours later it is much better so I endure the discomfort. I see it as a sign that I am hitting the right areas.

[Luckymama]

While I roll, I often feel sore spots/pain but hours later it is much better so I endure the discomfort. I see it as a sign that I am hitting the right areas.

Exactly.