Foam rollers are a staple of the workout world. You will find them in every gym and in no small numbers of homes. But is foam rolling as useful as its ubiquitousness would suggest?
Believe It Or Not, Foam Rolling Is Far From Proven
Given how common foam rolling has become you might be surprised to hear that the scientific evidence supporting its efficacy is less than overwhelming. While there is plenty of evidence that foam rolling does in fact increase joint range of motion, the value of that fact is not so straightforward. One recent study showed that the gains achieved are generally small and are short-lived, lasting only about ten minutes.1 This is why the authors of a 2019 meta-analysis concluded that the benefits of foam rolling are probably most relevant for elite athletes looking for an edge on a short performance, such as sprinters.2
Sometimes foam rolling is employed to help reduce chronic myofascial pain—things like trigger points, muscle tension, or the aches and pains that might show up in joints due to muscle misalignment. Unfortunately, a 2017 study concluded that there are simply no adequate studies available exploring this topic so we can’t make any definitive claims on the effectiveness of this intervention.3
You Don’t Have To Trash Your Foam Roller
Does this mean you should not foam roll? Not necessarily. As the saying goes, absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. There are many, many people who anecdotally find foam rolling to be extremely helpful. They feel it helps them move better and, in many cases, have less pain. Some of this may go back to the placebo effect—which can be a very effective intervention—or it could be the result of mechanisms waiting to be discovered. The jury is still out, so it would be remiss to dismiss it out of hand.
For now though, the fact is foam rolling is a bit of a Wild West. There are many different approaches, many different claims about why it supposedly works, and a whole lot of products that may or may not be worth the high prices they charge. If you choose to make some version of foam rolling a part of your regimen, then the best advice is to keep it simple. Standard foam rollers, inexpensive items like soft balls or lacrosse balls, or a massage from a qualified therapist should suffice. Try it out and decide for yourself if it is worth the effort.