Foam rolling has become a common practice for many people wanting to improve mobility and optimize their exercise experience. Because of this, there are infinite foam rollers to choose from - different sizes, different shapes, different densities, some that vibrate, some that heat up, etc.
However, despite how common place foam rolling has become, there is still a little conjecture surrounding how safe it might actually be for certain parts of the body - especially the back.
And in my role as a Physiotherapist, I do get asked one important question quite a bit...
"Is it safe to use a foam roller on your spine?"
So with that in mind, I thought I'd use this very question to inspire the video below.
Interestingly, I thought I'd also look around YouTube to get a sense of how others were tackling this question, and it's fair to say I was surprised.
What feels like a very simple and basic question to answer for me, is apparently more complicated than (I would argue) it needs to be.
Whether its the pressure from the foam roller on your spine, the need to be careful as to whether you use it on your thoracic spine or lumbar spine, or even the tendency for foam rolling to force your back into extension, the answers to these concepts highlight something I see quite a bit from within the health and medical industries - that we miss the point a little.
The video below isn't here to dissect other people's opinions or clinical advice, but it's my attempt at trying to give a considered, and well-rounded take on whether foam rolling is safe for your back. I just want to give that little does of perspective that I've come to understand over the last 20 years as a Physio, and highlight what I think can be easily missed by those around me.
So with that being said, watch below if you'd like to understand whether foam rolling is safe for your back, and which foam rolling techniques might be the best ones to use!
- Grant
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