This blog is from our helpful friends at Reach Bodywork in Ann Arbor.
Email [email protected] with code “FIT2LIVE” for a special offer.
There’s nothing wrong with foam rolling — it’s cheap, convenient, and it can temporarily improve circulation, reduce soreness, and increase comfort after workouts. But foam rollers are a self-care tool, not a clinical intervention and they do have a limit in effectiveness.
When you need deeper tissue change, targeted troubleshooting, or movement reprogramming, manual bodywork can produce faster and more durable results.
What a foam roller does well
- Improves general circulation and gives a pleasant “release” feeling.
- Helps with transient soreness (DOMS) after a hard session.
- Is great for daily maintenance and general mobility warm-ups.
- Easy to use anywhere — at home, at the gym, or traveling, and overall cost effective way to get by with your recovery needs.
Where a foam roller often falls short
- Depth & specificity: Rollers can’t always reach small, deep trigger points or adhesions in awkward angles.
- Movement transfer: Rolling alone doesn’t teach your nervous system to use a new range under load.
- Complex chains: Foam rolling a painful spot may ignore upstream drivers (e.g., thoracic stiffness causing shoulder pain).
- Chronic or asymmetric issues: Persistent one-sided tightness, recurrent pain, or plateaus often need targeted assessment.
- Red flags & safety: Self-treatment can miss medical cues (progressive weakness, numbness, systemic signs) that need referral.
Bodywork techniques that actually change the outcome (and why)
At Reach we use hands-on tools that address the limits above — and we pair them with movement education so gains show up where they matter (your training, sport, or daily life).
- Myofascial release (directional, layered): Targets deeper fascial planes and restores tissue glide in ways rolling can’t reliably do.
- Trigger-point release / ischemic compression: Pinpoints tiny hyperirritable spots that create referred pain and muscle inhibition — something a roller can’t always isolate.
- Active-assisted stretching (therapist-guided): Combines client activation with clinician guidance so new ranges are controlled and usable.
- Zone-based treatment (Reach Zones): We treat movement chains (primary + supporting areas) instead of treating only the sore spot — that’s how you stop reoccurrence.
When to keep rolling — and when to come to Reach
Good reasons to keep using your roller:
- You have general, non-localized soreness after a tough workout.
- You want a daily circulation / warm-up tool.
- You’re comfortable with self-care and don’t have persistent asymmetry or pain.
Signs it’s time to come to Reach (Demo recommended):
- Pain or tightness that returns quickly after rolling.
- One-sided limitations (left hamstring always tighter than right).
- A plateau in mobility or strength despite consistent self-care.
- Pain that affects technique (eg. shoulder pain during presses, or rounding during deadlifts).
- Soreness accompanied by numbness, tingling, progressive weakness, or night pain — book a medical check first; we’ll coordinate.
How Reach actually goes beyond the roller — a typical workflow
- Intro Session Session (30 minutes): Focused intake + movement assessments to identify whether foam rolling is enough or if deeper drivers exist. We start the journey of getting you back on track and feeling good regularly.
- Regular Targeted Reach Sessions: Targeted hands-on sequencing (myofascial release, trigger-point work), active-assisted stretches, and a short home program that complements your foam-rolling.
- Maintenance: Short, regular sessions to prevent relapse and to optimize your recovery and muscular balance for the long haul.
A Reach member example of when rolling wasn’t enough
A new Reach member came to us after using daily foam rolling for months on their tight posterior chain.
Unfortunately, they still felt regular tightness in their hamstrings and overall posterior chain.
After regular sessions at Reach we were able to find dense glute med trigger points and restricted thoracic extension. After 3 months of regular targeted bodywork using targeted trigger-point release and thoracic myofascial work the member was able to reach a deeper forward fold and hinge position with much less restriction, an overall functional win!
Certainly rolling out helped maintain the minimum workout recovery but hands-on treatment unlocked a big restriction to push towards improved overall function and greater abilities to pick things up off the ground.
How to integrate foam rolling + Reach services for best results
- Keep rolling for daily maintenance and warm-up.
- Book a free intro session at Reach when a limitation is persistent, acute or chronic pain has you down or performance is plateauing.
- Use regular sessions at Reach to remove deeper, more stubborn muscular restrictions and to unlock your most functional self!
Ready to Feel the Difference?
Regular bodywork isn’t just about fixing pain—it’s about unlocking your body’s full potential.
📅 Book your first intro session for FREE at Reach Bodywork today and see how powerful consistent care can be.
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About Fit2Live
Fit2Live is Ann Arbor’s premier fitness and nutrition coaching gym, dedicated to helping busy professionals, parents, and everyday people build sustainable health and fitness habits that last a lifetime. We are in the business of real, sustainable health and fitness change. Our expert coaches specialize in functional fitness, CrossFit, group fitness training, personal training, corporate fitness training and nutrition and wellness coaching. We offer scalable workouts and customized programs designed to help you get stronger, gain lean muscle, lose body fat, and feel confident in your body. At Fit2Live, you’ll never be just another member—we provide high accountability, personalized coaching, and a supportive community that keeps you motivated. Whether you’re brand new to fitness or ready to take your training to the next level, Fit2Live is Ann Arbor’s go-to destination for functional fitness, group training, personal training, strength training, and healthy lifestyle transformation. Ready to start your journey? Book your free No Sweat Intro today and see why our members call Fit2Live the best hour of their day.