Question about using Foam Roller/Massages/ART? Are there injuries when it's more harmful than good?
background
I recently injured something around the upper-inner side(right side) of my left knee...an ortho doc though it was possibly an adductor/MCL mild sprain. im wondering if anyone could comment on what types of injuries foam rollers/massages are helpful for, and what types of injuries foam rollers/massages could do more harm than good.
what i tried
just yesterday I tried a foam roller I got and using it on sort of the adductor/quads area just above the injured area. I wasnt sure if it would help or not. I rolled over it for like 5-10mins then I ran, after the run, rolled with the foam roller again over it, then iced&took some Advil. so during the run on day1 of the foamroller,the injury still hurt, but the next day the injury wasnt really bothering me anymore which was awesome. could just be luck. however the area I massaged hard with the foam roller was really really sore the next day, but very sore in a good way (I think). I still massaged it again today before and after i ran but couldnt really do it as hard as day1 as it was more painful. but the injured area wasnt bothering me anymore on day 2 after i started up the foam roller. Does this make any sense? could it be that using the foam roller over the adductor/quads above the knee is helping to take tension away the injured area? are there injuries where massages/foam rollers/rubbing can make it worse? Thanks for your help.