I have a love hate relationship with my foam roller. Reality is foam rolling is supposed to hurt, at least when you begin a regimen of regular foam rolling. Once you find the areas that need the most attention and create a practice of addressing the tension in those areas it gets much better in a fairly short period of time. Foam rolling, also called self myofacial release, can help improve flexibility, function, performance, and reduce injuries. You are essentially using your own body weight to roll a foam roller (other devices can be used like hard balls) massaging away tight, knotty areas to achieve normal, smoother soft tissue.