My Foam Roller Arrived

Last week I mentioned that I had ordered a foam roller after trying one at the gym.  It arrived a couple days ago, and I've been working on it a bit.  The pamphlet that came with it isn't the best for my purposes (there seem to be a lot of exercises that involve standing on it for improving balance--nothing wrong with that, but I'm more interested in working on my RSI), so I will have to hunt down some more information on the Internet. 

I have tried moving the roller along various muscles and holding it when I come to a sort of knot or tense spot (this is what the personal trainer at the gym recommended). It seems to work quite well on the legs, esp. my hamstrings, for loosening the muscles.  I feel a little more awkward using it on my back and arms, but that could be because I need to find a better description of how to use it on those areas. 

Since I've had some but limited success with dealing with my RSI symptoms through strengthening the muscles in my hands/wrists (Flextend), I'm trying to learn more about trigger points, massage, and treatments that target more than the area where the pain is manifesting itself. I recently found a copy of the The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook which I'm hoping to read in more depth when I have some time (a lot of the exercises look like they could be done with the foam roller). 

Comments

[Robin Stopper]

Are your RSI symptoms in your hand/wrist aggravated by computer mousing tasks? I would suggest an ergonomic tool called the palmroller. It is designed to keep your wrist in a neutral position, relax your grip, and allows movement in all directions without having to flick your wrist. It can be reviewed and purchased at www.palmroller.com. I'm certain it will help decrease your pain levels. Good luck!

[workoutnut]

You might also try The Tiger Tail Rolling Muscle Massager - which is a tool Clair Davies highlights on his web site (www.triggerpointbook.com). It's quite effective, yet simple - and I think it works better than the foam rollers.