How often should I foam roll?

Below is a question and answer from Chiropractor and soft tissue specialist Grant Kim (http://spineandsport.ca/). I asked Grant what he recommends to his clients regarding self myofasical release, AKA foam rolling. Here's what he had to say:

"What I tell patients is that once we've released, for example, the ITB from the lateral quads, things like the roller, stick and massage therapy should help to keep things released between treatments. The worry is that otherwise, using the roller may actually, in the long term, create more scar tissue by introducing trauma, swelling, inflammation and fibrosis to the area. I'm all for patients using them between sessions of ART. Daily use is fine with moderate intensity. If there's a lot of discomfort, icing that night may help to reduce swelling and subsequent inflammation."

To learn more about Self Myofascial Release, read my blog posts called Knotty Muscles Part I and Part II in my blog post archives.

Thanks for reading,

Jon-Erik Kawamoto