Just some simple questions that i feel could do with clearing up;
Is it safe to use the foam roller on the femur (thigh) bone? I ask this because when you get into areas like the quad and adductors then i sometimes notice i can feel the thigh bone and it causes some discomfort but i don’t want to get that too confused with trigger points as i know the difference as i can feel the bone on the roller. I assume it’s safe as some people even use PVC pipes for these purposes?
Sometimes when i foam roll i feel the “Knots” ping apart, i guess the easiest way for me to describe this is if you take an elastic band and pull it back and release, sort of like a slingshot. I notice it on areas like where the it band/quad is near insertion at the knee cap, sort of like when you roll over that area, the roller gets into a slump and then jumps back up, almost as though it’s a ridge. Lousy explanation i know, but just wondered if this was normal?
Similar to #1, i have trouble rolling my lats, when i do so, i feel the roller dig into my ribs a fair bit, my roller is pretty firm, but i find this discomfort makes it very difficult to roll my lats, should i stick to just trying to stretch them instead?
You need to put some meat on your legs if you can feel your femur.
Ive never experienced that. Ive been foam rolling daily for about 2 years now.
Sometimes a softer roller is actually more effective than a harder one. Also different types of rollers in terms of firmness and circumference for different muscles. Also a softball, baseball and golf ball are useful instruments when rolling. You just need to experiment and see what roller works best for what muscle.
Is it safe to use the foam roller on the femur (thigh) bone? I ask this because when you get into areas like the quad and adductors then i sometimes notice i can feel the thigh bone and it causes some discomfort but i don’t want to get that too confused with trigger points as i know the difference as i can feel the bone on the roller. I assume it’s safe as some people even use PVC pipes for these purposes?
I think it is okay. I can feel my bones sometimes when I’m rolling. If it hurts on the bone then it might be a muscle lying over the bone that is hurting, though… Or a tendon or something… Dunno. But when I’ve put sustained pressure on what felt like a bone sometimes it would relax. Strange…
Sometimes when i foam roll i feel the “Knots” ping apart, i guess the easiest way for me to describe this is if you take an elastic band and pull it back and release, sort of like a slingshot. I notice it on areas like where the it band/quad is near insertion at the knee cap, sort of like when you roll over that area, the roller gets into a slump and then jumps back up, almost as though it’s a ridge. Lousy explanation i know, but just wondered if this was normal?
Yeah. I think it is when you roll onto a tendon or something. I find that around my hip flexors, too. When they are particularly bad it feels like two steel cables from my quad up into my abs. I get it in my calves, too. Two muscles either side… It is like they get a bit stuck together. Sometimes they kinda ping apart and the ball sinks down into the next layer or muscle underneath.
Similar to #1, i have trouble rolling my lats, when i do so, i feel the roller dig into my ribs a fair bit, my roller is pretty firm, but i find this discomfort makes it very difficult to roll my lats, should i stick to just trying to stretch them instead?
I think keep rolling. be gentle if you need to be. the aim is to get things to relax not to get things to cramp up in painful spasms. i agree with birdie that sometimes a softer implement is best. you want the muscles to relax so you can wedge things into the lower layer and get that to chill too…