Exercise cylinders are becoming increasingly popular as an integral part of fitness and recovery routines. Not only can they assist with pain management, but they can also help to enhance exercise effectiveness. For example, crunches performed on an exercise cylinder provide a superior challenge for your core muscles and activate more stabilizing muscles than traditional crunches. Check with your doctor before beginning any new exercise routine.
When tight hip flexors and back muscles pair up with weak abdominal and gluteal muscles, they create an exaggerated lordotic curve, called hyperlordosis, which triggers back pain, poor posture and susceptibility to injury. The ...
The exercise also works your arms, shoulders and upper back. You can do the exercise on a Pilates chair -- a stool-like device with a spring-loaded door or foot rests -- or on a 4-legged stool or foam roller. With the Pilates c...
Self-myofascial release, or SMR, is a self-massaging technique that you can use with a foam roller to reduce muscle and tissue adhesions in your back that cause sensitivity, stiffness and pain. By applying gentle pressure upon ...
This is necessary to transfer force to the midline of your body. Overpronation is where the lower leg, upper leg and knee roll inward, disrupting proper force transference. This can cause pain in your ankle, knee, hip and lower...
Memory foam is frequently one of the most expensive options available to bed buyers, but its benefits for those with back pain may be worth the extra money.
Ortlieb's Back-Roller Classic pannier is one of the company's most popular products. Ideal for touring, groceries and many other uses, it's waterproof and durable. The Back-Roller Classic uses Ortlieb's QuickLock 1 system, whic...
But foam rollers can do much more. In addition to applying pressure to a trigger point or knot for release, you can also use foam rollers for strength and core training specifically to target the abdominals and muscles of the b...
A foam core roller is used to stretch and release the muscles of your body. The roller can also be used to increase or decrease the intensity of a workout, depending on how the foam roller is used. If you are starting out using...
Hyperkyphosis can be caused by a number of factors including tight chest muscles, weak upper back muscles, an imbalanced exercise program with too much emphasis on pecs development or spending too much time sitting at a desk or...
Years ago, static stretching was considered to be one of the most effective ways to warm up, cool down, and recover. Since, dynamic stretching and stretching with the use of foam rollers have gained tremendous popularity. Foam ...
SMR is performed using a foam roller on certain trigger points on the body, leading to increased flexibility and reduced stress. Trigger points are knots that form in the muscle fascia; if left untreated, range of motion can be...
You should do SMR when your body is warm and flexible and never rush through each exercise. Otherwise, you can cause a stretch reflex that tightens the muscles. After you do foam exercises, stretch the treated area.
This method is called self-myofascial release (SMR), and you can use it to ease stiffness and tenderness in specific areas of your body, like in your buttocks, back and calves. For lower-back stiffness, SMR can be done anywhere...
Whole foam rollers are cylindrical and come in various sizes, such as 6 inches in diameter by 3 feet in length. Use the foam roller on your back to increase mobility of the spine, to release knots in the latissimus dorsi (lats)...
Spinal injuries, arthritis and aging may cause kyphosis, but habitual postural misalignment or muscle imbalances exacerbate the problem. Spinal mobilization techniques, which use foam rollers and stability balls, and back stren...
A foam roller is a simple piece of exercise equipment that can help those that have strained back or need to strengthen their backs. It is also versatile enough that you can use it for various strength-training exercise for oth...
It combines the benefits of flexibility and massage. Because of their cylindrical shape, foam rollers are an unstable surface. As such, in addition to their therapeutic use, foam rollers can also be used for muscle reeducation....
