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Do-It-Yourself Massage
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12/04/2009 - 3:21 PM
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I started running a couple of years ago through an alternated jogging and walking program, which is recommended for beginners. But even though I took it slowly, my knees killed after the first few weeks. I could hardly climb stairs and would sometimes wake up in the middle of the night to throbbing pain. I thought maybe my body wasn’t built for running, but a visit to a sports-medicine doctor and a physical therapist taught me otherwise. My body just wasn’t prepared; the muscles and bands attached to my knees needed loosening up. That’s when I was first introduced to the foam roller, which the New York Times covered this week in an article on self-massage. I was advised to roll my legs on the foam cylinder to loosen up the tight muscles and bands of my legs, which had hardened in years of quick-burst sports and lots of missed stretching sessions. They’re not the most intuitive motions, but basically you use your body weight to push the foam roller deep into different parts of your legs. There are a bunch of videos showing it online, so go to YouTube and search “foam roller” to see it in action.  Foam rolling isn’t just for runners. Tennis players can also benefit from it, as Victoria Azarenka’s trainer, Mark Wellington told me for an article in our August issue. Azarenka uses a foam roller to loosen up her legs on regeneration days, but also in warm-ups or cool-downs if she has tight spots. “If trigger points stay tight and the muscles aren’t functioning properly, down the road that can lead to more problems,” Wellington told me. “[Foam rolling] can often take care of those right when it happens.”
So keep your muscles limber and save money on massages by trying self-massage with a foam roller. It works for me. I now jog in the park regularly (though in the winter it’s sometimes not as regular) and only occasionally have knee pain.
6 Comments
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Posted by hey |
12/07/2009 at 08:58 PM |
ye |
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Posted by TennisFan2 |
12/09/2009 at 07:47 AM |
I using a foam roller after running and find it to be great for tight IT bands. Get a good quality foam roller and if you don't use it directly after a workout make sure you warm up with some light activity before you use it. Also be careful not to roll over your joints. |
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Posted by tennis live |
03/01/2010 at 12:50 PM |
More pics wiht Azarenko this post needed :) |
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Posted by Ellen |
03/08/2010 at 06:19 AM |
Thanks for a great tip!
I sometimes have pain in my legs after I go jogging.
I've tried massaging my legs myself but the foam roller thing seems definitely more promising.
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