Abstract
Increased muscle stiffness can contribute to reduced range of motion (ROM) and impaired function. Reduced ankle dorsiflexion ROM has been associated with increased injury risk in the ankle. Self-myofascial release (SMR) has been widely used in clinical and sports settings, but the effects of SMR on gastrocnemius and Achilles tendon (AT) stiffness are unclear. Therefore, we investigated the effects of self-myofascial release using a foam roller (FR) on the stiffness of the gastrocnemius–AT complex and ankle dorsiflexion ROM. Fifty healthy, untrained, and non-sedentary participants (age=22.5±2.6years) were randomly divided into an intervention group (FR group) and a control group. The subjects in the intervention group received a single foam roller intervention (three sets of 1min), while the subjects in the control group performed a 5-min sedentary rest. Stiffness of the gastrocnemius–AT complex was evaluated using MyotonPRO and the ankle dorsiflexion ROM was assessed using the weight-bearing lunge test. For the foam roller and control groups, the between-group analysis revealed a statistically significant difference in gastrocnemius stiffness and ankle dorsiflexion ROM after intervention (p<0.05). Within-group analysis revealed a significant increase in ROM and a significant decrease in medial and lateral gastrocnemius (LG) stiffness for the foam roller group after the intervention (p<0.05). In addition, further analysis of the preintervention data revealed a significant negative correlation between ankle dorsiflexion ROM and AT stiffness (r=−0.378 and p=0.007). These results suggest that self-myofascial release using a foam roller on the calf is an effective method for decreasing the stiffness of the gastrocnemius and increasing ankle dorsiflexion ROM.
Highlights
Stiffness is one of the mechanical properties of muscle that can affect exercise capacity and has been correlated with muscle strain injury risk, especially in high-intensity activities (Witvrouw et al, 2004; Watsford et al, 2010)
After the foam roller (FR) intervention, no significant correlation was apparent between the ankle dorsiflexion range of motion (ROM) and lateral gastrocnemius (LG), medial gastrocnemius (MG), Achilles tendon (AT) in the FR group
The results of this study showed that gastrocnemius stiffness significantly decreases after the foam roller intervention, whereas there was no significant change in the Achilles tendon stiffness
Summary
Stiffness is one of the mechanical properties of muscle that can affect exercise capacity and has been correlated with muscle strain injury risk, especially in high-intensity activities (Witvrouw et al, 2004; Watsford et al, 2010). The muscle and tendon may play an important role in passive range of motion (ROM; Hirata et al, 2020). It has been shown that increased muscle stiffness (i.e., resistance to stretching) can contribute to reduced ROM and impaired function (Geertsen et al, 2015). In addition to these contractile structures, non-muscular structures (e.g., nerves and fasciae) can limit passive ankle dorsiflexion ROM (Andrade et al, 2016; Nordez et al, 2017). Optimal methods of decreasing the muscle stiffness and increasing ankle dorsiflexion ROM for the prevention of injury need to be identified
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