_edited.jpg)
Foam Rolling Your Back DON'T Do This! Do THIS Instead
- chelsie462
- 6 hours ago
- 8 min read
This article is a transcribed, edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in October 2024. For the original video, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzWkxM8mflU
Mike: Foam rolling can help with many issues, but if done incorrectly, it can do more harm than good.
Brad: That's right. In today's episode, we're going to take a trip down memory lane, and we're going to show you ways you should use a foam roller and ways you should not.
Mike: Specifically on your back. And make sure to stay tuned, because after that, we're going to talk about world-renowned fascia expert Robert Schleip, and how he actually suggests using a foam roller on your back.
Brad: Yeah, and he is world-renowned. Excellent, excellent guest. Now, we go down memory lane. Woo woo.
Bob: Today, we're going to talk about, I'm going to show the foam rolling that you want to try if you have back pain, and the one you don't want to do. The first one that you don't want to do, let's start with that. You don't want to foam roll right over your lower back. The reason for that is... Brad, can you hold this?
Brad: Yep.
Bob: So if I take a spine here, and here's the low back. You just put it across like that. Yeah, like this. You're really jamming, you see, there's a lot of little joints there, you're jamming them all together. And that's not going to feel comfortable. It's just not going to be good for the back either.
Brad: It's a little aggressive. When you go up to your mid back, you also have the ribcage supporting the spine, which makes a big difference.
Bob: And also the ribcage, when we go up to the mid back, which we're going to say you can go ahead and do. We don't want the low back; you can do the mid-back. Is because a lot of people start getting rounded out here.
Brad: Yes.
Bob: So we're trying to stretch that out, get back into the right position. Why don't we start off with that one first, Brad? Let's do the mid-back one.
Brad: All right.
Bob: You're going to go that angle, I'm going to go this angle.
Brad: Sure.
Bob: I'll start from this side here. Great one to do, it's probably one of the best foam rolling exercises you can do is the mid-back. Get it in place, and I did this this morning; I'll do it again right now.
Brad: Oh, this does feel good.
Bob: Very simple to do. You see, I lift my butt up, and I'm using my legs to roll myself back and forth. Very simple to do. Brad, you tend to go a little bit further up on the neck, I think, than I do.
Brad: It feels good up there, Bob. I just really like going, and if my mic set wasn't in the way, I'd go even a little bit further.
Bob: All right, next one, Brad. Let's keep it rolling here. Now, if you want to do one for the mid or the low back, this is one I just did, Brad. I tweaked my back a couple of weeks ago.
Brad: Sure.
Bob: And this felt so good. I thought we had to show this. So I think I'm hitting kind of the quadratus lumborum. What you're doing is you're not going directly on the spine, you're going onto the side.
Brad: Yep.
Bob: Did you try this one or not?
Brad: Well, yeah. Actually, because I'm a little more sensitive in my mid back because of my spondylolisthesis, but if I control my weightbearing through my arm and my leg here.
Bob: See, so we're going off the pelvis. Let me show you here.
Brad: Yeah, show the spine.
Bob: So I'm like this, I'm not on the pelvis itself, I'm off the pelvis, I'm catching right into this area here.
Brad: Yeah.
Bob: Probably catching the quadratus lumborum, wouldn't you say?
Brad: Yeah. This happens to be a pretty big muscle that controls the lower back.
Bob: And look what Brad's doing. He's a little bit off, not right onto the side. You're a little bit like three-quarter angle, wouldn't you say, Brad?
Brad: I'd give the pelvis about a 45, 50 degree angle, 51 degrees.
Bob: 45 degrees this way. And you roll, I roll, I don't know about you, Brad, right off the pelvis. And that feels really good.
Brad: What you're going to do at home is do what feels good.
Bob: Right, yeah.
Brad: You'll know because right now I can feel, when I get that muscle, it just feels like one of those hurts so good pains.
Bob: That's exactly what it should be. It should not be hurt, hurt, it should be hurt so good.
Brad: It's like "Oh, that feels good when you're done."
Bob: All right, next one, Brad. Now we're going to go ahead. This one is not as direct, but your hip flexor muscles come up and attach to your pelvis, and if they're tight, which often they are in a lot of people who sit a lot, they pull the pelvis over, and they affect the back. So it's going to do this type of thing here.
Bob: Here's the pelvis, the hip flexor, tight hip flexors going to pull it over like that, it's going to kind of put pressure on the back there. So does that make sense to you, Brad? You look confused.
Brad: That's all right, Bob, let's do the stretch, we'll talk about it later.
Bob: There's something he's not agreeing with here.
Brad: This feels really good, by the way. I want to make sure I got the other side.
Bob: All right, now let's go to this. Okay, the hip flexor you do one at a time the way I do it, otherwise you get the package, and you don't want to get the package, right, Brad?
Brad: I'm just glad I got one. Okay, here we go.
Bob: So I'm rolling a little bit onto the side a little bit again here, and this is a great one for hip pain. I mean, this one can really contribute to hip pain if the hip flexor is tight. I'm not going to do this side, Brad, because I have a mic on this side here.
Brad: Yeah, that'll ruin your audibility. I actually like to go over and get my hip abductor with this as well. You can vary that a little.
Bob: So the hip, just as the hip flexor can affect the pelvis and the back, so can the hamstrings.
Brad: Oh, right, absolutely.
Bob: So we're going to go ahead, this is the last one we're gonna do on the floor. We're going to go ahead, and you can roll them both to start off with; that's usually what I do. And then I go down to one. And you can even cross your leg over, and that really hits that one. And the hamstring, remember, goes all the way up to the pelvis, so roll it all the way up there.
Brad: Way up to the buttock area.
Bob: One thing, I'm not going to reveal this right now, Brad. I got a different stretch, some advanced stretching to do for the hamstring.
Brad: Oh, you do? You're going to hold out on us.
Bob: I'm going to hold out. It's going to be a future video, that's why you have to subscribe to us.
Brad: Oh, yes.
Bob: All right, last one, Brad. We're trying to keep things moving here.
Brad: I'm sorry, Bob, I'm just enjoying this.
Bob: This is one Brad probably wouldn't do because you have spondylolisthesis. So this is just a really simple one you can do if you want to get into the lower back without putting too much stress on it. You can actually get it right around the pelvis here, and lean back like this; it gives a little overpressure to the back. It's gentle.
Bob: But you're stretching into extension. It's kind of just a nice one to do.
Brad: If you've got spondylolisthesis or stenosis and you do this, and it just hurts, and you may not know you have it, but if you do this and it hurts, just don't do it, skip that one.
Bob: Yeah, if you're older than 55, in all seriousness, and if you do this one and it hurts, there's a chance you might have spinal stenosis or spondylolisthesis.
Brad: All right. A nice detail to know about foam rollers, if you're going to purchase one, is that there's going to be the density question, and it refers to how soft or how firm the roller is. Look at this one, it can squish really easily. This one's not near so much.
Brad: And then the black one is actually the hardest one. That one's in the middle. So there are four different densities for most manufacturers. If you're in doubt, probably the blue foam roller, the middle one. The black one's pretty aggressive. Now we're going to talk about rolling on the wall.
Mike: Yes. This is what Robert Schleip recommends. So what you do is you place it against the wall, and then you're going to essentially do little squats, and it's going to go up and down your back. The advantage of this is that gravity is not pulling you down, so there's not nearly as much pressure, and yet you're still working the fascia a lot.
Brad: And if you have problems with leg strength, simply hold a cane or two sticks on each side. It's amazing what that will help, make it much easier to get that up, down motion. But, on the other hand, you do get some nice leg strength along with this, so it can be a win/win situation for that, for two different issues.
Mike: Now, if you'd like to check out more information on Robert Schleip, you can check out the podcast that Bob Schrupp did with Bob Schleip. Can you say that? Anyway, check out "Treating & Training Fascia As a Source of Your Pain With Dr. Robert Schleip."
Brad: Two Bobs, Robert and Bobert. All right, anyway, enjoy the day. It is a good podcast.
For this week’s Giveaway, visit: https://bobandbrad.com/giveaways
Bob and Brad’s Products
Pain Management:
Fitness:
Stretching:
Check out our shirts, mugs, bags, and more in our Bob and Brad merchandise shop
Medical Disclaimer: All information, content, and material on this website are for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider.
Affiliate Disclaimer: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. We are highly selective in our products and try our best to keep things fair and balanced to help you make the best choice for you.
