Acute influence of myofascial self-mobilization using foam roller on muscle strength and flexibility

Abstract

Myofascial self-mobilization (MSM) techniques have been widely applied in sports, especially with the use of foam rollers. However, the effectiveness of this technique still lacks scientific consensus regarding the kinetic-functional benefits. Thirty volunteers were recruited, aged between 18 and 30 years, sedentary, and with no recent history of musculotendinous injury. The volunteers in the myofascial mobilization group (MMG/ n=15) performed an MSM protocol consisting of 3 cycles of 30 seconds of mobilization. The muscle length range (MLR) assessments, established by measuring the popliteal angle, and the maximum voluntary isometric strength (MVIS) peak, by dynamometric determination, were performed before and after the protocol. The other volunteers (n=15) constituted the control group (CG) and were submitted to the same evaluation procedures, but without performing the MSM. The data obtained were submitted to descriptive qualitative analysis and the student’s t-test. The values of mean and standard deviation (M±SD) of MLR (o ) before and after mobilization, respectively for the GC and MSM groups, were 157.0±8.4/158.4±9.3 and 151, 1±16.4/153.7±16.4. The peak values of MVIS (Kgf), respectively for the same groups, were 13.2±3.6/14.0±3.6 and 11.8±2.1/11.7±2.2. Given these results, it is concluded that the MSM technique with foam roller did not have an acute influence (p≥0.05) on the MLR and MVIS of the hamstring muscles.