Should I Use A Foam Roller?

Sometimes when we train, we get areas of tightness and soreness. 

Believe it or not, the research world doesn’t fully understand why this happens. 

Yes, there are some hypotheses, but because there are many different factors at play it's hard to determine. 

For example, how do we differentiate tightness from riding in a car for too long and lifting weights?

The cause is clearly not the same so neither might be the solution. 

So before you go and grab a foam roller, think about what could potentially be a source of soreness and whether or not foam rolling can help and whether or not it should be the only modality used. 

For example, sitting in a car too long could potentially create a neurological stressor (where the muscle was in a shortened state for an extended period of time) and while foam rolling may help relieve some of the tightness, you might actually be better off doing through some light full range of motion movements to increase circulation and metabolic demand.

The research shows that the top method for decreasing muscle soreness and fatigue is an actual massage, so this may be something to look into if you are looking to take your recovery to the next level.