Quadriceps foam rolling and rolling massage increases hip flexion and extension passive range-of-motion.

Increases in joint range-of-motion may be beneficial for improving performance and reducing injury risk. This study investigated the effects of different self-massage volumes and modalities on passive hip range-of-motion. Twenty-five recreationally resistance-trained men performed four experimental protocols using a counterbalanced, randomized, and within-subjects design; foam rolling (FR) or roller massage (RM) for 60 or 120-s. Passive hip flexion and extension range-of-motion were measured in a counterbalanced and randomized order via manual goniometry before self-massage (baseline) and immediately, 10-, 20-, and 30-min following each self-massage intervention. Following FR or RM of quadriceps, there was an increase in hip flexion range-of-motion at Post-0 (FR: Δ = 19.28°; RM: Δ = 14.96°), Post-10 (FR: Δ = 13.03°; RM: Δ = 10.40°), and Post-20 (FR: Δ = 6.00°; RM: Δ = 4.64°) for all protocols, but these did not exceed the minimum detectable change at Post-10 for RM60 and RM120, and Post-20 for FR60, FR120, RM60, and RM120. Similarly, hip extension range-of-motion increased at Post-0 (FR: Δ = 8.56°; RM: Δ = 6.56°), Post-10 (FR: Δ = 4.64°; RM: Δ = 3.92°), and Post-20 (FR: Δ = 2.80°; RM: Δ = 1.92°), but did not exceed the minimum detectable change at Post-10 for FR60, RM60, and RM120, and Post-20 for FR60, FR120, RM60, and RM120. In conclusion, both FR and RM increased hip range-of-motion but larger volumes (120- vs. 60-second) and FR produced the greatest increases. These findings have implications for self-massage prescription and implementation, in both rehabilitation and athletic populations.

Is self-massage an effective joint range-of-motion strategy? A pilot study.

Increases in joint range of motion may be beneficial in both improving performance and reducing the risk of injury. The purpose of this study was to investigate short-term changes in passive hip flexion (HF) and extension (HE) after foam rolling (FR) and roller massage (RM) durations of 60 and 120s. Ten recreationally active men (27.6 ± 2.4 years old; 164.8 ± 6.6 cm; 62.2 ± 8.0 kg; 24.2 ± 2.1 m2/kg) were recruited for this study. Subjects performed foam rolling (FR) and roller massage (RM) on the hamstrings for 60 (FR60 and RM60) and 120 (FR120 and RM120) seconds. Significant differences between FR120 and RM60 were observed in both HF (p < 0.001) and HE (p < 0.001) suggesting an intervention (roller style) effect. Furthermore, significant differences (p < 0.001) between RM60 and RM120 suggest a dosage based response. Thus, the findings indicate that different roller type or rolling volume may affect range-of-motion.

An acute session of roller massage prolongs voluntary torque development and diminishes evoked pain.

INTRODUCTION: Roller massage (RM) has been reported to reduce pain associated with exercise-induced muscle soreness and increase range of motion without force or activation impairments. The objective was to examine RM effects on evoked pain and contractile properties. METHODS: Twelve men received three sets of 30-s RM at a perceived discomfort level of 7/10 on a visual analogue scale on the ipsilateral (IPSI-R) stimulated plantar flexors (PF), contralateral PF (CONTRA-R), Sham (light rolling on stimulated PF), or Control. At pre-test, post-test, and 5-min post-test, they received evoked maximal twitch, tetanus, and 70% maximal tetanic stimulation, and performed a maximal voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC). Data analysis included perceived pain and contractile properties. RESULTS: The 70% tetanus illustrated significant 9-10% increases in pain perception with Sham and Control at post- and 5-min post-test, respectively (p < 0.01). There was no pain augmentation with IPSI-R and CONTRA-R. There were no main effects or interactions for most contractile properties. However, MVIC force developed in the first 200 ms showed 9.5% (p = 0.1) and 19.1% (p = 0.03) decreases with IPSI-R at post-test and 5-min post-test. CONCLUSION: Data suggest that RM-induced neural inhibition decreased MVIC F200 and nullified the testing-induced increase in evoked pain associated with 70% tetanic stimulation.