Stretching and Foam Rolling
Foam rolling and stretching have become an integral part of most mobility, recovery and injury prevention routines. Both activities are easy to do, require minimal equipment and can provide immediate “results”. While the true efficacy of either activity continues to be debated, there is no debate that they are popular interventions in the health and fitness community. For the purpose of this post, foam rolling is defined as a form of self-massage where the user utilizes a firm cylinder or ball shaped object to provided pressure to the soft tissues (muscle, tendons, fascia etc.) of the body. Stretching can be defined as a lengthening of muscles, and/or soft tissue, to their “end-range”. Stretching normally involves a prolonged hold and can incorporate various types of active muscle contractions at the end range.
Potential Benefits of Stretching
Lengthening tissues (muscles, fascia, tendons, capsules etc)
Creating physical change in the tissues (long term change)
Increasing range of motion
Potential Benefits of Foam Rolling
Creating a short term increase in range of motion
Increased muscle performance before and after exercise
Decreased pain and DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness)
From injury prevention, to increased mobility, to increased performance, foam rolling seems to do it all. But what does the research say? When compared to stretching, foam rolling has a much shorter history. The bulk of research related to foam rolling has occurred within the last ten years. To date, the research supports the use of foam rolling for short term increases in range of motion, decreased delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), and there is some support for short term increases in performance. There are some potential risks, as research has also shown that foam rolling can result in increased skeletal muscle inflammation. There is no evidence that foam rolling will create long term increases in range of motion, increased muscle or tissue length, or any form of “myofascial release”.
One of the only methods that we know of that has been shown to create sustained improvements in range of motion and flexibility is to stretch. Stretching involves bringing specific tissues of our body to their end range. There are ample strategies used to try and manipulate the effectiveness of a stretch. The two most common variables which are manipulated to affect a stretch include the length of time spent at the end range and the amount of load, or force, that is put through the tissues at end range. The load can easily be increased by adding weight, contracting the muscle being stretched, or by attempting to sink “deeper” into the stretch.
There is no agreed upon duration that has been found to be the most effective for either stretching or foam rolling. While the topic has been heavily researched, especially for stretching, the suggested time stretching or foam rolling depends on the goals. Most often stretching is performed for 30 seconds to 2 minutes per stretch, while foam rolling is normally done for a few minutes per area.
When discussing stretching and foam rolling there is no best practice to generate the best results. In general, stretching should be done with the intention to create pain relief and long term changes in range of motion. Foam rolling is likely most effective as a pre-performance tool to help prepare your body for physical activity and to diminish aches and pains.
There is a lot of debate surrounding foam rolling and stretching. Experiment to determine what strategies and techniques works best for you. While the two activities are normally discussed as being analogous and interchangeable, it’s important to understand their potential benefits and drawbacks in order to get the best return on your time investment.
Brendan Clarke, PT, DPT
Brendan is a physical therapist and co-owner at Kauno