Foam Rollers – Are They Actually Helpful?

Whenever I walk into my bedroom, I see it: my foam roller, slumped in the corner like it’s been stood up for a date. Truthfully, I do like foam rolling. It feels good, it’s satisfying… but I hardly ever get around to it. More often than not, I use it to crack my back instead of loosening up my sore legs.

If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Foam rollers are everywhere—in gyms, on Instagram, at the bottom of our wardrobes. But are they actually helpful for recovery and performance, or just another short-lived fitness fad?

Let’s take a look at what the research says.

What is Foam Rolling, Anyway?

Foam rolling is a form of self-myofascial release (SMR). In simple terms, that means giving your muscles and connective tissue (aka fascia) a DIY massage. It can be done before or after exercise, or just whenever you’re feeling stiff or sore.

People typically use foam rollers on their quads, calves, hamstrings, glutes, upper back, and IT band. If you've ever grimaced while trying to roll out a tight quad, you know the feeling.

What the Research Says: The Real Benefits

Science on foam rolling is still evolving, but here’s what we know so far:

• ✔️ It can increase flexibility—temporarily.
  Foam rolling before a workout can improve your flexibility by around 4% [1], without the potential downsides of static stretching. So if you like warming up with a roller, go for it.

• ✔️ It may help reduce soreness.
  Rolling after exercise has been shown to slightly reduce DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) and lessen strength loss after a tough session (by about 3.9%) [1]. It won’t eliminate soreness altogether—but it might take the edge off.

• ✔️ It might speed up recovery.
  While foam rolling won’t work miracles, it can help your muscles bounce back a little faster between sessions—especially if you’re already sleeping well, eating well, and staying hydrated.

• ✔️It may improve muscle activation and vertical jump. 
  Following exercise-induced muscle damage, foam rolling has been shown to improve muscle activation compared to doing nothing. It also led to better vertical jump performance at certain points during recovery. These effects may be linked to reduced neural inhibition—possibly due to lower inflammation and improved function of the connective tissue around the muscles. [2]
  

• ✔️ For elite athletes, even small improvements count.
  Gains like a 0.7% boost in sprint performance or a 3% improvement in recovery might seem small—but at the top level, that can be the difference between first and fifth.

• ✔️ It may support recovery of connective tissue.
  Some researchers think foam rolling may support recovery not by repairing the muscle fibres themselves, but by helping the surrounding connective tissue recover. It might assist in restoring the passive structures in your muscles—like fascia and other non-contractile components—that can become stressed or stiff after intense exercise. [2]
  

But It’s Not All Magic: The Limitations

Before you start rolling like your recovery depends on it, it’s worth knowing that the benefits of foam rolling are fairly small—and sometimes not statistically significant. A few things to keep in mind:

• 🟠 The effects are often minor
  Improvements in flexibility or recovery exist, but they’re modest. For most people, foam rolling isn’t going to make or break performance.

• 🟠 The science is still a bit murky
  Many of the suggested benefits—like changing fascia properties or "releasing" knots—are still speculative, with limited high-quality research behind them.

• 🟠 Placebo might play a role
  Because foam rolling studies can’t easily blind participants, some of the benefits people report might come down to how it feels, rather than what it does.

• 🟠 Everyone responds differently
  Some people love it and swear by it. Others feel nothing. That’s normal—there’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to recovery tools.

So, Should You Use One?

Use a foam roller if:

• You feel tight or stiff after training

• You enjoy it and find it helps you move better

• You want to build a simple mobility habit into your week

Skip it if:

• It doesn’t make a noticeable difference for you

• You prefer other recovery tools (walking, stretching, sleep)

Foam rolling isn’t a miracle tool, and it’s definitely not essential—but it can be useful. Especially if it helps you move more freely or feel less sore after a hard session. Just remember, the biggest gains still come from the basics: good sleep, smart training, solid nutrition, and enough rest.

If your foam roller’s been gathering dust lately, maybe this is your sign to give it another go. Or not. Like most things in fitness, the best recovery tool is the one you’ll actually use.

References

[1]  Wiewelhove T, Döweling A, Schneider C, Hottenrott L, Meyer T, Kellmann M, Pfeiffer M and Ferrauti A (2019) A Meta-Analysis of the Effects of Foam Rolling on Performance and Recovery. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2019.00376

[2] MacDonald, Graham Z.1; Button, Duane C.1; Drinkwater, Eric J.1,2; Behm, David George1. Foam Rolling as a Recovery Tool after an Intense Bout of Physical Activity. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise 46(1):p 131-142, January 2014. | DOI: 10.1249/MSS.0b013e3182a123db