Abstract
BackgroundFoam rolling has been shown to acutely improve joint range of motion (ROM). However, limited knowledge exists on the chronic and residual effects. The primary purpose of this study was to examine the chronic and residual effects of a 2-week roller–massager intervention on ankle dorsiflexion ROM and dynamic balance.MethodsForty-two participants (24.3 ± 2.5 years, 33 males, 9 females) were randomly assigned to either roller-massage (RM) or control group (= no intervention). Ankle ROM was assessed with the weight-bearing lunge test (WBLT) and dynamic balance with the Y-Balance test for both limbs. The RM group was instructed to roll their calf muscles for three sets of 60 s per leg on 6 days a week over 2 weeks. Acute effects were measured during baseline testing for dorsiflexion ROM and dynamic balance immediately after foam rolling. Chronic and residual effects were measured 1 day and 7 days after the intervention period. Multivariate ANOVA was performed for post-hoc comparisons to determine acute, chronic, and residual effects.ResultsSignificant acute and chronic foam rolling effects (p <0.05) were found for ankle dorsiflexion ROM. The chronic increase in ROM slightly decreased 7 days post-intervention but remained significantly above baseline (p < 0.05). Regarding dynamic balance, there were no acute but chronic (p < 0.05) and residual (p < 0.05) effects.ConclusionUsing a roller–massager for a 2-week period chronically increases ROM and dynamic balance. These increases are still significant 7 days post-intervention emphasizing the sustainability of foam rolling effects.
Highlights
Restricted ankle dorsiflexion range of motion (ROM) has been associated with altered lower extremity movement patterns (Rabin et al, 2016; Lima et al, 2018), with potential to influence sports performance and place undue strain on surrounding connective tissues which may lead to injury (Hewett et al, 2005; Boling et al, 2009)
The primary aim of this study was to examine the chronic and residual effects of a 2-week roller–massager intervention on ankle dorsiflexion ROM and dynamic balance, with a secondary aim to explore the acute effects of rollermassaging on the same outcome measures
The primary aim of this investigation was to examine whether roller-massaging the calf muscles for a 2-week period would produce chronic and residual effects on ankle dorsiflexion ROM and dynamic balance, with the results indicating significant chronic improvements in both outcome measures
Summary
Restricted ankle dorsiflexion range of motion (ROM) has been associated with altered lower extremity movement patterns (Rabin et al, 2016; Lima et al, 2018), with potential to influence sports performance and place undue strain on surrounding connective tissues which may lead to injury (Hewett et al, 2005; Boling et al, 2009). Chronic Effects of Foam Rolling injury (Fong et al, 2011), and hamstring injury (Gabbe et al, 2006) Considering these detrimental effects on functional performance and injury status, the improvement of ankle ROM may be of high practical relevance for recreationally active and sporting populations. There is growing interest in foam rolling as an alternative treatment method This increased interest is reflected in the recent proliferation of systematic reviews assessing the effects of foam rolling on various functional outcomes (Hughes and Ramer, 2019; Wiewelhove et al, 2019; Hendricks et al, 2020; Skinner et al, 2020; Wilke et al, 2020). Besides improved recovery (Kalén et al, 2017), physical performance (Halperin et al, 2014; Peacock et al, 2014), and decreased pain perception (Aboodarda et al, 2015), it has been established that foam rolling can induce acute ROM changes comparable to those of muscle stretching (Wilke et al, 2020). The primary purpose of this study was to examine the chronic and residual effects of a 2-week roller–massager intervention on ankle dorsiflexion ROM and dynamic balance
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