Foam Roller & Massage Ball Thread

[jayluv54]

I started using one after a groin/hip flexor injury a few years ago from skating out.  I had to get one with the solid plastic inside because the pure foam ones give too much and make it harder to actually "roll".  Lacrosse balls work awesome too for pin pointing certain areas.  I was told by a PT that the more painful it is, the more you actually need it.  After they used this metal blade on me that resembled a large, thick butter knife to soften up the tissue in my groin, I'll take a damn lacrosse ball any day...lol.   Having A LOT of tendon issues since hitting my late 30's, can't survive without these things now.

[SaveByRichter35]

56 minutes ago, Lucky Pucker said:

I use one myself, actually - we had one from when my wife had IT band syndrome a few years ago. I think most of us get pushed into use by extreme soreness and/or actual injury. But that's not to suggest there's no benefit to people who aren't injured and/or unduly sore!

Just anecdotally, I was talking to an army guy a while back who said they had a bunch of super fit, super active guys in PT or whatever, and an instructor came in with rollers for them. they scoffed, made some cracks, but got down to do it. Apparently some of these guys - who did not feel injured or hobbled or anything - were crying at the intensity. But the feeling of well being that followed apparently made believers of them!

I'm not saying I am a non believer I am just saying I have never used one.  

[dreadlockgoalie]

I have to foam roll to loosen things up before I play/workout and use it after to work out any stiffness from overwork.  I've got a tennis ball at work to try and work out kinks when I'm stuck in front of a screen all day.  These are also good for rolling out the bottom of your feet.  Talk to just about any pro athlete these days and they're using some variation of these pre and post-game.  

[Lucky Pucker]

1 minute ago, SaveByRichter35 said:

I'm not saying I am a non believer I am just saying I have never used one.  

Ah - yeah, fair enough.

[dreadlockgoalie]

3 minutes ago, SaveByRichter35 said:

I'm not saying I am a non believer I am just saying I have never used one.  

Inadequate.  You must feel pain like the rest of us! 

[Lucky Pucker]

Man - I had no idea the NRA (National Roller Association) lobby had such a forceful presence here!

[SaveByRichter35]

1 hour ago, dreadlockgoalie said:

Inadequate.  You must feel pain like the rest of us! 

But I don't have any pain.

[TheGoalNet]

5 hours ago, SaveByRichter35 said:

I've never used one.

I never used them until recently. My wife asked me to take my son to the gym daycare after work and give her a break the other week. I had a game that night and didn't want to work out and then skate. 

I did some light bike, stretched a lot, and decided to use the foam rollers. I only tried the foam rollers because Cody Porter swears by them. It's part of his routine every skate. He's younger and in better shape and finds value in them. He got me curious and I figured it was worth a try. I never had much going on that I would call pain, more the small ache here or there. Nothing I even bothered to address with an Advil. Basically as healthy as the weekend warrior goalie can be. 

I was amazed how freaking loose I felt for the rest of the day and on the ice. I don't know if this makes sense, but I didn't realize how tense my muscles were until I experienced loose muscles. It's an eye opener. 

I bought a couple cheap ones for the house at 5 Below and do this for 10 mins before I leave for the rink now. I have been on fire since then. 

[SaveByRichter35]

2 minutes ago, TheGoalNet said:

I never used them until recently. My wife asked me to take my son to the gym daycare after work and give her a break the other week. I had a game that night and didn't want to work out and then skate. 

I did some light bike, stretched a lot, and decided to use the foam rollers. I only tried the foam rollers because Cody Porter swears by them. It's part of his routine every skate. He's younger and in better shape and finds value in them. He got me curious and I figured it was worth a try. I never had much going on that I would call pain, more the small ache here or there. Nothing I even bothered to address with an Advil. Basically as healthy as the weekend warrior goalie can be. 

I was amazed how freaking loose I felt for the rest of the day and on the ice. I don't know if this makes sense, but I didn't realize how tense my muscles were until I experienced loose muscles. It's an eye opener. 

I bought a couple cheap ones for the house at 5 Below and do this for 10 mins before I leave for the rink now. I have been on fire since then. 

So what do you guys just roll them up and down your legs?  I'll have to youtube this.

[TheGoalNet]

10 minutes ago, SaveByRichter35 said:

So what do you guys just roll them up and down your legs?  I'll have to youtube this.

Lay on the floor. Put the roller under my ham strings and do like a reverse plant position. I roll my body over the roller 10 times on each ham string. I then do this for my hips, lower back and quads. I just rotate my body over the foam roller. They are all variant positions of a plank position. 

[SaveByRichter35]

4 minutes ago, TheGoalNet said:

Lay on the floor. Put the roller under my ham strings and do like a reverse plant position. I roll my body over the roller 10 times on each ham string. I then do this for my hips, lower back and quads. I just rotate my body over the foam roller. They are all variant positions of a plank position. 

Oh ok I see.

[TheGoalNet]

19 minutes ago, SaveByRichter35 said:

Oh ok I see.

Hah, I have no idea why... but I want you to be a believer. 

[SaveByRichter35]

2 minutes ago, TheGoalNet said:

Hah, I have no idea why... but I want you to be a believer. 

I'll be 35 this summer.  Eventually everything is going to start catching up with me.  My metabolism already has.  I may as well stay out in front of the aches and pains that will come with playing goalie in my elder years.

[TheGoalNet]

4 minutes ago, SaveByRichter35 said:

I'll be 35 this summer.  Eventually everything is going to start catching up with me.  My metabolism already has.  I may as well stay out in front of the aches and pains that will come with playing goalie in my elder years.

Foam roller = fountain of youth 

[SaveByRichter35]

3 minutes ago, TheGoalNet said:

Foam roller = fountain of youth 

Good to know hahaha

[TheGoalNet]

Talk about timing... 

Francois Brassard - Canadian University 

I have that purple one in green 

[Adam Cooper]

Marie Mountain has some awesome videos on how best to use the foam rollers. Personally,  I would say when you get into your 40’s your hip and leg muscles just take longer to loosen up and they just don’t have the same elasticity they did in your 20’s when you could probably get away with much less stretching etc. I have to leverage this on back to back games or a day when I include a squat exercise.   It’s painful but it does help.

Here is a link to one of her videos,  she’s an expert in this area:

[Droner]

I wasn't a believer until I did Maria Mountains butterfly challenge. Did the lacrosse ball on each foot and was a believer from then on out. Amazed me how just a little rolling could affect my flexibility so much.

[Chenner29]

Fleury recently talked about how much more maintenance work he needs to do now that he's in his mid-30s compared to when he was 20-something.

It's one of those things that you don't think about or realize until you actually do the work and realize how much of a difference it makes.

[Fullright]

5 hours ago, SaveByRichter35 said:

I'll be 35 this summer.  Eventually everything is going to start catching up with me.  My metabolism already has.  I may as well stay out in front of the aches and pains that will come with playing goalie in my elder years.

Try it. SVR. Never did it until I got back in at 50. I don't think it makes a difference in playing better but as far as the age issue, it helps me recover faster than I would otherwise and it does add to flexibility. Cant hurt, right?

[bunnyman666]

I have been silent on this topic until now: I have been using balls, broom sticks (remember, I am an old endurance athlete) and the like for YEARS! This stuff is not new. 

@SaveByRichter35 try the rollers, balls, etc. with guidance from a few reputable videos; it will CHANGE YOUR LIFE.

[BauerHockey47]

I've been foam rolling since 2006 or 2007, when I suffered a variety of MCL/ACL and groin injuries, and it's a game changer. In addition to massaging, foam rolling is a dynamic stretch that is great before getting on the ice or working out. It's a dynamic stretch (versus a static stretch) because it warms you up and stretches you out at the same time. The firmer the foam, the deeper the stretch. Conversely, static stretching (normal touching your toes, etc.) is better for cooling down post skate or workout. 

[TheGoalNet]

3 hours ago, Droner said:

I wasn't a believer until I did Maria Mountains butterfly challenge. Did the lacrosse ball on each foot and was a believer from then on out. Amazed me how just a little rolling could affect my flexibility so much.

I don’t know about this

[daffy]

I have arthritis in the hips.  Docs told me at 26 i'd need a new hip at 40.  Well im 40 and still going.  I bike 5 times a week then stretch after with a Stretch a Flex.  Then use foam roller and also the lacrosse ball.  Regular massage treatment and accupunture in the adductors and groin.  

All this keeps me going and relatively pain free.

I bike before every game to warm up and then stretch.  Although i ha e to get in the car and drive to the rink, i still find im looser on ice compared to not doing it.

[coopaloop1234]

With how many people are rolling in this thread, I thought for sure it was the EDC forums.