Foam rollers come in all shapes, sizes, stiffness, and prices. Its no wonder we can get pretty confused about all the options. The foam rollers are designed to be used on the floor. That means getting down on the ground and rolling around. You basically roll your body parts over the foam roller. When you come to a trigger point or adhesion, it will be quite painful. Some roll it out, while others hold that area and press on it. Which way is correct depends on your preference.

Since there are many types of foam rollers, most people aren’t sure which one to get. I’ve tried most of them, from a cheap homemade PVC pipe with tape (when i was on a student’s budget!) to one from TP Therapy. I have to give high marks to the TP Therapy foam roller since it just felt right.

PROS

Everyone uses it. It’s been around for awhile but now its mainstream. That means people want it, and not necessarily ‘need’ it, if that makes any sense! For example, I now see people going to the gym with a big foam roller hanging off their gym bag.

The big plus is that you can target larger areas of your body with it. The best areas are the back, legs and also the shoulder and upper arms. If you have some muscle knots, you will definitely feel it. However, you’ll notice the pain gets less and less every day you use it.

CONS

The cons of a foam roller are that you have to get on the floor to do it, and the fact that you may have to try a few before you know which one you actually want.

If you’re active, rolling around on the floor won’t be a problem. What if you can’t do that? Then its not going to be that easy to use. Take this into consideration before you actually get one.

The other con is that they come in all sizes and stiffness levels. Again, if you can roll around on the ground at the local store, definitely do it! If not, I would have to tip my hat to the TP Therapy foam rollers. They are rigid but have a give to it. Let’s not forget that they were designed because the guy who made it had a lot of chronic muscle pain. If its good for him, it should be good for most.