Why should I stretch my back on a foam roll?
Backaches and neck pains have become quite common nowadays mainly because of desk work. Bending forward to reach the keyboard or straining the neck to work at a laptop or desktop is the source of all such problems. Although we all learn the right postures of sitting and standing, we hardly remember them when working the entire day. When the pain becomes severe, the immediate remedy is most often physiotherapy. The physiotherapist will use different methods like electrotherapy, traction, mobilization, etc to give you some relief.
A foam roll is an effective therapeutic appliance that takes care of your health. It is constructed in such a way that when you roll on it, the foam roll creates a feeling of deep massage. There are quite a few reasons why you should stretch on a foam roll.
- It allows the anterior chest and neck muscles to stretch gently. The muscles that have become short or stiff, can return to the normal position if you lie on a foam roll for about 5 to 10 minutes after work.
- The middle back and the thoracic spine become relaxed and the muscles function better.
- Blood circulation improves if you stretch on foam roll especially the skin, muscles, fascia, tendons and ligaments that become stiff due to work.
- Improved blood circulation helps in improving the digestive system, excretory system and leads to a better performance of all the internal organs of the body.
- When the muscles or tendons and the ligaments become short due to tension and overwork, the foam roll effectively works on the muscles and ligaments by stretching and creating a therapeutic pressure in place of hand massage and treats the particular points to lengthen the tissues.
- Stretching on foam roll promotes maximum spinal motion. As you slowly roll your spine you will feel the therapeutic pressure created by the foam roll that you can control when you feel that your joints and tissues can stretch no more.
The advantages of stretching on foam roll are endless. Apart from the muscle and nerve stretches that improve total health and functioning of the body, it is a useful tool for performing various exercises especially when there is muscle pain. But a physiotherapist must be consulted before you take any decisions.
