Jake_Gano Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 (edited) What's the story? Does this actually help you recovery faster? I know it feels good when my muscles are sore but so does drinking three beers and nobody seems to think that aides in recovery. Everything I read on the internet is anecdotal ("I works great for me" ). Without a useful comparative analysis to a control group that doesn't really mean much to me. So is foam rolling legit, or just the latest acupuncture-type pseudo-medicine crap? Edited June 23, 2014 by Jake_Gano Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevino Posted June 24, 2014 Share Posted June 24, 2014 Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2014 Jan;46(1):131-42. doi: 10.1249/MSS.0b013e3182a123db. Foam rolling as a recovery tool after an intense bout of physical activity. Macdonald GZ1, Button DC, Drinkwater EJ, Behm DG. Author information Abstract PURPOSE: The objective of this study is to understand the effectiveness of foam rolling (FR) as a recovery tool after exercise-induced muscle damage, analyzing thigh girth, muscle soreness, range of motion (ROM), evoked and voluntary contractile properties, vertical jump, perceived pain while FR, and force placed on the foam roller. METHODS: Twenty male subjects (≥3 yr of strength training experience) were randomly assigned into the control (n = 10) or FR (n = 10) group. All the subjects followed the same testing protocol. The subjects participated in five testing sessions: 1) orientation and one-repetition maximum back squat, 2) pretest measurements, 10 × 10 squat protocol, and POST-0 (posttest 0) measurements, along with measurements at 3) POST-24, 4) POST-48, and 5) POST-72. The only between-group difference was that the FR group performed a 20-min FR exercise protocol at the end of each testing session (POST-0, POST-24, and POST-48). RESULTS: FR substantially reduced muscle soreness at all time points while substantially improving ROM. FR negatively affected evoked contractile properties with the exception of half relaxation time and electromechanical delay (EMD), with FR substantially improving EMD. Voluntary contractile properties showed no substantial between-group differences for all measurements besides voluntary muscle activation and vertical jump, with FR substantially improving muscle activation at all time points and vertical jump at POST-48. When performing the five FR exercises, measurements of the subjects' force placed on the foam roller and perceived pain while FR ranged between 26 and 46 kg (32%-55% body weight) and 2.5 and 7.5 points, respectively. CONCLUSION: The most important findings of the present study were that FR was beneficial in attenuating muscle soreness while improving vertical jump height, muscle activation, and passive and dynamic ROM in comparison with control. FR negatively affected several evoked contractile properties of the muscle, except for half relaxation time and EMD, indicating that FR benefits are primarily accrued through neural responses and connective tissue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jordansahls Posted June 26, 2014 Share Posted June 26, 2014 (edited) Foam rolling (or self myofascial release) research is still in its infancy, however there are a number of articles out there that seem to point to it being an effective tool for performance and recovery. Here are a couple of articles on the subject, if your interested: An acute bout of self-myofascial release increases range of motion without a subsequent decrease in muscle activation or force http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22580977 Roller-massager application to the hamstrings increases sit-and-reach range of motion within five to ten seconds without performance impairments http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23772339 Roller massager improves range of motion of plantar flexor muscles without subsequent decreases in force parameters http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24567860 The Effects of Myofascial Release With Foam Rolling on Performance http://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/Abstract/2014/01000/The_Effects_of_Myofascial_Release_With_Foam.8.aspx Acute effects of self-myofascial release using a foam roller on arterial function. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23575360 Edited June 26, 2014 by jordansahls Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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