By: Kerry Gustafson, LAT, ATC, LMT — Superfeet Wellness Panel Member. Kerry Gustafson is the owner and visionary of Prime Sports Institute, a multi-disciplinary sports medicine clinic focused on helping individuals maintain healthy, active lifestyles through a comprehensive approach to wellness. An athletic trainer for more than 19 years, Kerry's specialties include the evaluation and rehab of injuries, running gait analysis and screenings to identify imbalances, mobility and movement dysfunctions.
Looking to stay healthy and loose? We put together a guide to foam rolling for runners. Here are four foam rolling techniques that can be done before or after running.
Glutes
As a runner, it's important to roll the glutes and piriformis out because you're constantly recruiting them when you're running, they can get really tight and cause a lot of dysfunction. You want to roll the full length of the glute from the sit bone all the way through to the top of the glute, but stay off of the bone itself.
Repeat on the other side.
Piriformis
Cross the leg that you're stretching over the other leg and then you roll onto that bent leg, making sure you’re feeling the stretch and opening in the piriformis.
Repeat on the other side.
Calves
It's important to foam roll the calves because you're constantly using them both to push off during the running cycle and as you’re getting ready to load the leg. Start on onside, down by the heel bone and work your way towards the back of the knee and then back down towards the heel bone.
Repeat on the other side.
Snow Angel
Snow angels on the foam roller are important to open up the chest — runners can tend to slouch, especially as they add mileage. Lie with your spine fully supported on the foam roller, bend your knees, open up your arms, palms up, and you'll go through a snow angel type motion slowly all the way up and all the way down.
