Over the summer, I started working with a personal trainer. In an effort to remain consistent with my workouts, I worked out at home, during our off days. In doing so, I experienced sciatica and could not move for a couple of days.
Instead of rushing to a primary care physician's office (as almost everyone around me suggested), I chose to handle my pain a little differently. If you may recall, I began seeing a Chiropractor last year. Since this post, I found a Chiropractor that I absolutely love, whom I did not hesitate scheduling an appointment with on the second day after my injury. For the purposes of this blogpost, I will refer to her as "Magic Hands", which I am known to call her. She adjusted my spine and instructed me to do a series of stretches to ease the pain. The day following my visit with "Magic Hands", I decided to visit my personal trainer, who introduced me to a foam roller! In less than a week, I was relieved of all symptoms and was back to my normal self (though still a little sore)!
After my injury, I decided to purchase this foam roller for use at home and it has been a complete game changer for my spine! There are enormous health benefits to daily stretching for your overall health and the benefits of using a foam roller are endless. By incorporating a foam roller as a daily health regime, you may not only heal from injuries, but prevent yourself from experiencing them, as well.
I purchased mine from TJMaxx for $9.99. There are a variety of textures, such as smooth and the one you see pictured. I wanted the added benefit of feeling like a massage, which is why I picked this one.
Here's a video of a full-body foam rolling exercise.
Happy rolling!! :-)