[Craig Kleinberg is an Exercise Physiology master’s student at the University of North Carolina and is an Athletic Development Intern at Athletic Lab.]

foamRollerFoam rolling has become one of the most popular pieces of equipment for both warming up prior to and cooling down upon completion of a workout. Despite the popularity, there has been very little research performed on foam rolling. As a warm up, one study (1) showed no difference in force production between foam rolling and performing a standard plank (designed to simulate supporting one’s bodyweight while foam rolling). Foam rolling does have the advantage, however, in increasing range of motion. Unlike static stretching, foam rolling has been demonstrated to increase range of motion without decreasing force production, making it a viable warm-up tool (2).

When used as a recovery tool, foam there is less certainty as to its effectiveness. Declines in performance appear to be minimized in measures such as 30-meter sprint speed, broad jump, and vertical jump for up to 48 hours after a fatiguing exercise bout (3,4). Delayed onset muscle soreness also appears to decrease as a result of foam rolling (3,4). One possible explanation for these attenuations may be linked to improvements in blood flow. The isolated compressed area stimulates decreases arterial stiffness and nitric oxide production (5). Blood flow improvements to the limbs would allow for greater metabolites to reach the muscle thereby hastening recovery.

Now it is time to examine the “how” of foam rolling. Again, there is not enough research to conclude which technique works best. One common technique was to move distal to proximal in small undulating motions for 30 seconds (1,3). Another stated to perform one rolling motion per beat for 50 beats per minute (4). Aside from that there is little specification of protocols. My personal preference is to slowly roll from the most distal aspect of a muscle group to the proximal and holding for 10-20 seconds on a knot.

So often I see people roll up and down a muscle group like they are using a pin-roller to roll out dough at paces faster than 50 beats per minute. At a pace such as that, I find it difficult for any real effect to come out of foam rolling. One thing is clear though; there is still a large amount of research to be done prior to any definitive conclusions can be made.

References:

  1. Healey, Kellie C., Disa L. Hatfield, Peter Blanpied, Leah R. Dorfman, and Deborah Riebe. “The Effects of Myofascial Release With Foam Rolling on Performance.”Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 28.1 (2014): 61-6.
  2. Macdonald, Graham Z., Michael D.h. Penney, Michelle E. Mullaley, Amanda L. Cuconato, Corey D.j. Drake, David G. Behm, and Duane C. Button. “An Acute Bout of Self-Myofascial Release Increases Range of Motion Without a Subsequent Decrease in Muscle Activation or Force.” Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 27.3 (2013): 812-21
  3. Pearcey, Gregory, David Bradbury-Squires, John-Erik Kawamoto, Eric Drinkwater, David Behm, and Duane Button. “Foam Rolling for Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness and Recovery of Dynamic Performance Measures.” Journal of Athletic Training 50.1 (2015): 5-13
  4. Macdonald, Graham, Duane Button, Eric Drinkwater, and David Behm. “Foam Rolling as a Recovery Tool after an Intense Bout of Physical Activity.” Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 46.1 (2013): 131-42.
  5. Okamoto, Takanobu, Mitsuhiko Masuhara, and Komei Ikuta. “Acute Effects of Self-Myofascial Release Using a Foam Roller on Arterial Function.” Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 28.1 (2014): 69-73.