I realize this might not be a big break through to anyone else, it was for us so we will assume it will be for others. My wife is a serious hiker and about two months ago she had a misstep while hiking some water falls and has not been the same since. Her back pains had become debilitating at times.

So she started to get massages...that helped. But not long enough. She then went and saw a chiropractor that ran an x-ray which showed her the issue. Looking it up she knew what he was saying was true and it would take 6 months to heal. She's an impatient woman. But she is also her best doctor.

After thinking about it, she realized we had a high-density foam roller that she used for yoga. You can get these on Amazon, EBay or just about anywhere for $20-$40.

The rest is history.

Whatever you want to call it, the foam roller is an effective, inexpensive and vastly underused gym accessory. It is often used for as I said, yoga, Pilate's and even for propping your legs up in a massage. But this time it was being used for a bad back.

She started a series of exercises (we are only talking about 10 minutes here, nothing strenuous) that we have now found out is called Self Myofascial Release Technique. Although not new, they are effective.

In research some therapists claim a long list of benefits, from curing tennis elbow to IBS relief. Don't know how true any of it is, but we can tell you it is curing a hiking mistep in her lower back.

There are ’fascia’ and ’trigger points’ in your body, all that means is that your body is prone to trigger points (spots of irritation in the muscle fiber) and breaking down these trigger points through foam roll release can help improve the quality of our soft tissue. Once the breakdown occurs your freedom of movement begins.

Simply roll in a balanced way to cover the areas that are issues with you. If you have areas that are worse than others, concentrate on those areas. She has now been doing this almost a week and it's the best she has felt in months. In fact she is looking getting back to her 8-mile hikes. 

We are not saying this will cure you and we aren't going to assume you won't use it wrong. Though it would be tough to use it wrong. We are not doctors...we only play ones in this article and we can tell you, this is working for her.

Here is a sample technique from the Sports Fitness Advisor website. It concentrates on the upper back. If you have issues with the lower, just follow the same logic in addressing that area.

Upper Back Self Myofascial Release
1. Place hands behind head or wrap arms around chest to clear the shoulder blades across the thoracic wall.
2. Raise hips until unsupported.
4. Stabilize the head in a “neutral” position.
5. Roll mid-back area on the foam roll.
6. If a “tender point” is located, stop rolling, and rest on the tender point until pain decreases by 75%.

General Guidelines

• Spend 1-2 minutes per self myofascial release technique and on each each side (when applicable).
• When a trigger point is found (painful area) hold for 30-45 seconds.
• Keep the abdominal muscles tight which provides stability to the lumbo-pelvic-hip complex during rolling.
• Remember to breathe slowly as this will help to reduce any tense reflexes caused by discomfort.
• Complete the self myofascial release exercises 1-2 x daily.

Check out further info at the Sports Fitness Advisor website!