What is cellulite?
Cellulite is a condition in which the skin appears to have areas with underlying fat deposits, giving it a dimpled, lumpy appearance. This occurs most in women than in men. It can occur anywhere on your body, but the places where it occurs often are the abdomen, thighs and the buttocks. This is not a serious condition that requires medical attention, however, most women still tend to go in for treatment considering the beauty aspects and appearances. The causes of cellulite are many like hormonal factors, genetics, diet and lifestyle choices to sometimes even the choice of clothing that one wears.
Treatment options
There are many treatment options that are floated for the treatment of cellulite. None are, however, endorsed by substantial medical or scientific literature. They range from creams, to magnetic and heat therapies and various kinds of massages. A recent addition to thetreatment options of cellulite is foam rolling.
Foam rolling
Foam rolling is done with the help of a foam roller which is nothing but a long tube of tense foam. These rollers come in multiple sizes and color options. A self-myofascial release massage can be done with the help of a foam roller. A fascia is a band or sheet of connective soft-tissue, primarily collagen, beneath the skin that attaches, stabilizes, encloses and separates muscles. The fascia gets subjected to tension, overuse and trauma. A foam roller is used in this context to release the fascia by gently rolling it over the affected area to stretch and release the fascia.
Foam rollers are used in general to help healing and promoting flexibility. They help to ease the tension around the joints and aid in loosening the tissue and the tight muscles. The same principle is applied in the treatment of the affected areas and visible improvement can be seen with continuous usage. It can be painful at first, especially if you have tight muscles. Foam rolling is highly beneficial to all the tissues in the affected areas. It stimulates blood flow, thereby helping in the increased circulation and growth of healthy tissue.
Types of foam rollers
There are a wide variety of foam rollers available in the market. There are small ones and long ones depending on the body affected part where you want to use it. There are also smooth ones as well as textured ones. Textured foam rollers are the slightly aggressive ones that provide quick stimulation and release and hence if your skin is sensitive it can cause you pain and bruises. So do your study and read up and if required discuss it out with a medical practitioner and make your choice.
Foam rollers and exercises
There are multiple exercises that are suggested to be used along with foam rollers. These are again specific to the body parts on which you want to use the roller. The key to reducing cellulite however, lies in using the foam rollers consistently. As it happens often in the case of exercises, we tend to give up if we do not see immediate results. That should not be the case, set a timetable and stick to it and before long cellulite may be history, literally.
