The Effects Of Foam Rolling On Fatigue-induced Performance Decrements In Trained Females: A Sham-control Study

Abstract

It remains commonplace for athletes to utilize self-myofascial release techniques like foam rolling during muscular fatigue situations to acutely support or at least preserve subsequent performance capacities. However, currently, there is limited evidence to support this specific application of foam rolling. PURPOSE: The purpose of this investigation was to examine the effects of foam rolling vs. a sham ultrasound control treatment following fatiguing exercise on subsequent performance in trained female subjects. METHODS: Twenty female subjects (age= 21.4 ± 1.1y) participated in this crossover design study. Subjects were tested for reactive strength index (RSI), peak isometric mid-thigh pull (IMTP) force, and fatigue perception followed by an exercise fatigue protocol. Then, subjects underwent either a foam rolling (FR) or sham ultrasound (CTL) treatment which was followed by repeat testing. A repeated measures ANOVA was used to examine the interaction of treatment (FR vs. CTL) x time (pre-vs. post-fatigue protocol) for each outcome measure. A dependent student T-Test was used to make comparisons between treatments on the pre- to post-fatigue protocol ∆ score for each outcome measure. RESULTS: There was a significant treatment x time interaction for fatigue perception (p=0.03) and RSI (p=0.03) but not peak IMTP force. Both treatments resulted in a significant (p<0.05) increase in fatigue perception (FR: +3.2 ± 1.8 cm; CTL: +4.1 ± 2.1 cm) and decrease in RSI (FR: -8.9 ± 6.9 %; CTL: -11.9 ± 7.5%) from pre- to post-fatigue protocol. Further analyses revealed that the increase in fatigue perception following FR was significantly less than CTL (p=0.03). Additionally, the decrease in RSI following FR was significantly less than CTL (p=0.02). The fatigue-induced decrease in peak IMTP force did not differ between treatments. There was no significant correlation between the pre- to post-fatigue change in RSI and fatigue perception (p=0.10; r= -0.3). CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, this study corroborates a prior non-sham-controlled investigation in that foam rolling during neuromuscular fatigue situations may aid in the preservation of performance while reducing perception of fatigue.