Foam Rollers, a little history

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Foam Rollers – A Personal History

In the early 1980s I first encountered the ethafoam rollers in a

'Somatic learning' context. This was in a professional training program

for the Feldenkrais Method of movement re-education. The ethafoam

rolls were selected specifically for their density and resilience.

The most common use was as a tool in the progressive relearning and

refinement of balance, a secondary use was, as a prop, to allow the

body to conform to non habitual configurations. The rollers were

especial helpful in working with stroke patients and others suffering

from head injuries. In addition to helping the body to relearn

symmetrical patterns of coordination, a common side effect was the

reduction of unnecessary muscle tensions. This was not the result of

common myofascial techniques, rather it resulted from the body

readjusting to the contour and support of the roller.

A simple example is lying supine on a 6 " roller from the head to the coccyx

with the legs bent so the feet stand on the floor, ****, after as

little as 5 minutes if you remove the roller and lie on your back on

the floor, it feels as though your lying in a deep furrow. This is

the result of the back adjusting to the convex contour of the roller

and then when it encounters the flat surface on the floor it feel as

though the floor is concaved rather than flat. The entire muscles of

the spine also tend relax and yield a sense of length.

For a few years I wholesaled these rollers to physical therapy

clinics and a number of them sold these rollers to patients with no

further instructions than this simplistic exercise.

In the 1990s a few physical therapists began using the rollers for

other reasons and as a marketing gimmick. Certain therapists

developed workshops based on the rollers and charged a few hundred

dollars for each " section " . It caught on since they were simple to

use and the mark up for the clinics was high.

As has been pointed out on the " Supertraining List " there are other

devices that will serve as well or better for myofascial release

techniques, but these rollers are useful when use in the context of

motor learning. The density of the ethafoam while firm is not as

harsh as Styrofoam and so the body will usually relax when lying on

the former while it will resist and contract in protection with the

latter.

There are manufactures other than Dupont producing the ethafoam, but

the density does vary so compare before you buy, if you must.

Ken Largent, CSCS

Bend Oregon