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Foam rollers are a common sight in many settings around the world such as gyms and physical therapy / physiotherapy departments . You’ll often see people lying on them and rolling various parts of their bodies on them, often while making interesting faces. If you’re interested in how they’re used to target specific muscles and tissues, or if you’d like to know about the different types of foam rollers, this infographic is a great start. There’s much more to foam rollers and how they work and this infographic illustrates only the tip of the iceberg.

According to the infographic, foam rollers can help with:

• muscle tension relief
• correcting muscle imbalances
• increasing range of motion
• injury prevention

Thanks to  Greatist for the infographic.

Have you used a foam roller?  Please leave your comments.

Use a Foam Roller Like a Pro

You may also be interested in:

• High Intensity Interval Training Guide (infographic)
• Sitting is Killing You (infographic)

High intensity interval training (HIIT) is used by many athletes, both professional and amateur, as well as those training for weight loss or better health. There are many studies showing it’s effectiveness. Have you ever wondered why interval training is so effective or about different HIIT programs? This infographic may answer all of your questions about it.

Some interesting points:

• calorie burning lasts up to 48 hours after completing a training session
• HIIT boosts metabolism
• HIIT taxes both your aerobic and anaerobic systems
• 27 minutes of HIIT 3 times a week has been shown to be as effective as 60 minutes of regular exercise 5 times a week
• there are many HIIT programs including the Tabata method that only takes 4 minutes!

Thanks to  Greatist for the infographic.

What do you think about interval training? Do you do interval training? Please leave your comments.

High Intensity Interval Training Guide

Running is one of the most common forms of exercise in the world. You can do it almost anywhere and need very minimal equipment. Judging by the latest barefoot or minimalist running trend, some would argue that you don’t need any equipment at all.

This infographic illustrates some of the more common running injuries, how to avoid them, and how to recover from them.

Some of the interesting ‘facts’ pointed out are that 36 million people run every year and that 40% to 50% of those people experience at least one injury. This is not terribly clear though. Do 40% to 50% of runners experience at least one injury per year? The infographic gives sources but no specific citations making it difficult to determine.

Please leave your comments.

Thanks to smootherfitness.com for creating this.

[click the image for a larger version]

Common Running Injuries

[Click the image for a larger version]

You may also be interested in:

• Free your feet: why running shoes do more harm than good (infographic)
• Sitting is Killing You (infographic)

Most people spend a significant portion of their workday sedentary. Just because people are at work doesn’t mean they can’t get any exercise at all. This infographic shows some simple exercises that can be done while at your desk job and also describes some of the most common chronic injuries that happen as a result of a sedentary job. Common treatment options for theses chronic injuries are also discussed.

Take the stairs, take the long way, and do some exercises at your desk. This inforgraphic will show you how and why.

Workplace Workout

[Click the image for a larger version]

You may also be interested in:

• Sitting is Killing You (infographic)
• Free your feet: why running shoes do more harm than good (infographic)

Walking has long been known to be a great activity for maintaining health. This infographic from everybodywalk.org illustrates some of the benefits that are achieved by working regular walks into your routine. Some of the benefits are obvious and well known while others may surprise you.

Walk your way to better health.

Please… leave us your comments at the bottom of the page.

You may also be interested in: Free your feet: why running shoes may do more harm than good.

Anatomy of Walking

Here’s an interesting infographic on the benefits of biking and the dangers of a sedentary lifestyle. The image outlines how much Americans drive, how much pollution of this driving causes and how biking instead of driving can have a dramatically beneficial effect.

Not only is biking better for the health of Americans and for the environment, the infographic also attempts to illustrate how biking could save America billions of dollars.

As always such infographics need to be taken with a grain of salt. However, I don’t think it’s too hard to imagine that less driving and more biking would benefit all of us.

Thanks to healthcaremanagementdegree.com for putting this on together.

Biking and Health: How Bikes Can Save Us

Here’s another nice infographic, this time about the perils of cushy running shoes. Barefoot or minimalist running is all the rage these days. This illustration points out some of the history of running shoes as well as a few common ailments that are now being blamed on the increased heel strike often associated with running in padded running shoes.

Please… leave us your comments at the bottom of the page.

You may also be interested in: Anatomy of Walking

The Harm Caused By Running Shoes

The infographic was created by www.xraytechnicianschools.net

An Epub ahead of print at the Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy (JOSPT) describes a study done comparing outcomes following Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA; also sometimes known as TKR for ‘Total Knee Replacement’). Two rehabilitation protocols were followed by the two different groups in the study.

The two groups 8 were age and sex-matched. One group followed a standard, lower intensity rehabilitation program while the second group followed a higher intensity program that progressed as tolerated. The high intensity (HI) group had an additional month of treatments but there were already significant differences between the two groups at the 3.5 weeks post TKA. The HI group also utilized machine-based strengthening while the lower intensity group only progressed to ankle weights or resistive bands.

The study found that those in the higher intensity group had superior strength and functional outcomes while not experiencing any increase in pain or decrease in range of motion (ROM). The HI group showed significantly greater short-term and long-term strength and function as measured at 3.5 weeks, 12weeks and 52 weeks .

It’s worth noting that the study only involved a small sample size and lacked randomization and blinding. However, the researchers believe that this illustrates that larger similar studies are warranted.

J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2011 Sep 30;

Authors: Bade MJ, Stevens-Lapsley JE

Please see the Journal of Orthopaedic & Sport Physical Therapy (JOSPT) site for more topics.

Physical activity is essential for combating many physical problems yet current figures suggest that older Americans aren’t getting enough. This infographic effectively breaks the numbers down for you.

Highlights:

• 22% of those 65 and older report regular physical activity
• estimated cost of falling injuries by 2020 is $32.3 billion
• 4 in 10 of people 65 or older have difficulty with at least one basic activity of daily living (ADL)

Physical Activity and Older Americans Infographic via Evergreen Rehab