Getting Healthy: Foam Rolling

By Dr. Philip Cordova

December 30, 2013


You’re about to see some changes in how we do things at CORE. Instead of giving you random thoughts and ideas on how to improve your health, we’ll be operating with some “themes.” In January, the focus will be on incorporating exercise into your lifestyle.

We find that many (most) of our patients do little to no exercise each week. If you answer the question, “What do you do for exercise?” with “Gardening” or “I walk a lot at work.” — then you’re not exercising enough.

We all need to do some form of reasonably strenuous exercise a few times per week (the more days the better). You’ll want to build up gradually to avoid injuries, and be sure to do an activity that allows for a variety of movements. Even better, an exercise that’s the opposite of what you have to do all day. So if you’re already hunching over a desk all day, cycling wouldn’t likely be your best choice.

As you start to exercise more, you’re going to notice some aches and pains (especially at first). In particular, you’ll have inflammation and tension in muscles that are being worked for the first time in years. Without realizing it, you have also likely developed knots and adhesions in your connective tissues and fascia.

One of the best ways to alleviate all of this is with regular use of foam rolling. I started this about 6 months ago and it’s a life changer. At first, it can be really painful and awkward as you learn to work the roller over different parts of your body. The roller can be used to work on your mid back curve to undo the tension and loosen up your hamstrings.

It takes just a few minutes for each major area to see some changes and results. Even though it was painful at first, after a few weeks I noticed that I could apply more pressure and that most areas weren’t painful at all.

If you’ve never used a foam roller (and have no idea of what I’m even talking about) – then consider coming to our free class on January 16th. We’ll be doing a class at 12:00pm and another at 6:00pm. We’ll be providing a free foam roller to anyone that signs up by January 10.

Wear some comfortable clothing and get ready to feel better with a technique you can use as often as needed at home. Just call our office at (713) 622-3300 to claim your spot.

Dr. Philip Cordova

About the author

Dr. Philip Cordova is a chiropractor in Houston, Texas. He grew up in Phoenix, Arizona and decided to become a chiropractor after hurting his back as a teenager and getting help from chiropractic care. He is speaker on health & posture. Click Here To Read His Full Bio

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